The Sicamous market is running year-round once again and organizers say it’s a place to socialize with something for everybody.
Described by one of the organizers, Terry Sinton, as “the grandchild of a market that’s been here for many years”, the Saturday market operates year-round out of the Sicamous and District Seniors Centre, 1091 Shuswap Avenue. The market used to be held at the Red Barn, but has been at the Seniors Centre for the past two and a half years, open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For the last three years, due to the pandemic, the market has had trouble staying open, facing gathering restrictions and low tourist traffic.
‘We kind of lost our footing,” said Sinton.
With Sicamous being a smaller community with a large population of older people, Sinton explained, the market is a perfect place for people to meet and socialize. It is currently being managed by the “Market Six,” long-time vendors who want the market to continue. Sinton said it is an open market which has no rules that goods have to be handmade or home-grown. The market often has vendors from all over the Shuswap and sometimes even farther.
“We have home-based businesses, handmade crafts, garage sale stuff, food, a little bit of everything,” said Sinton. “What we’d like is for it to get back to being a real gathering place, without even the expectation of buying something.”
Sinton said that winter is the hardest time to get the word out to people that the market is happening, but it may be the time people need it the most, with seniors and people of all ages needing a place to gather and socialize. The market tried serving coffee for a while but is holding off on the refreshment service until attendance is higher.
Market organizers are also open to input, with Sinton suggesting knitting and crafting drop-in courses with further instruction set up if there is interest.
With a charge of $15 per table or $10 per space if held outdoors, Sinton said they run the market to break even, just making enough to pay the Seniors Centre rent and keep signs up in the community.
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