There’s nothing quite like shopping at a great local market. Friendly vendors and locally produced goods in one convenient location transform shopping into an exciting, environmentally sustainable, and fun community event.
Since 2014, the Mill Market has been welcoming shoppers from their temporary home and, later this summer, they will move into their permanent location downtown. With their move comes a new name, Soo Market (Soo MRKT for short), a new tagline, “Community grown and made with love,” and several exciting new opportunities.
Bob Pryor, Manager of Operations and Communications for Soo Market, is looking forward to settling into their new location.
“That old building was never intended to be a permanent home. While change is initially challenging, we feel strongly that the move downtown will allow us to better serve the residents,” he explains. “The new state-of-the-art facility presents opportunities for expansion, better service, and variety to our community.”
Permanent Home Comes with Many Benefits
Soo Market’s new home will be located at 73 Brock St, which is conveniently located downtown next door to the new downtown plaza, the Tim Hortons on Bay, and Country Way. There is plenty of parking in the area, including accessible parking spots immediately adjacent to the market. The area is currently lacking a grocery store, which makes the move even more impactful for the growing downtown residential population.
The new building is 10%-15% larger which means there will be even more variety for visitors. In addition to the incredible local food producers, Soo Market will now be able to accommodate more artisans and craft producers as well. They are even making space available for community non-profit organizations and have plans for an environmentally focused social enterprise in the future.
Better Vendor Experience in New Building
The move is also great for vendors. The new location on Brock Street is a high traffic location in central downtown that will attract new customers. The booths are gated and secured, which means that vendors can open beyond the regular market hours if they wish.
“I am very excited about the ‘like new’ facility with all its improvements and especially look forward to the security panels. I can simply close and lock my booth which will make closing and opening so much easier,” says Errol Caldwell, Soo Market vendor and Board Director.
Soo Market is open Saturdays year-round from 9:00am to 2:00pm, with special hours on Wednesdays from 11:30am to 2:30pm during the summer months and holiday season.
Visit them at 35 Canal Drive until the new location at 73 Brock Street is ready to welcome the community on Sat, Sept 23.
Connect with the market on Facebook or Instagram and check out the current vendor list on their website.