The farmer’s market has long been a staple community hub in Wolfville. Recently,
Emma, one of our staff writers at the Athenaeum, was able to meet with Kelly Marie Redcliffe,
executive director of the market, for an interview. This was an excellent opportunity to learn
more about the market’s history, present, future, and overall importance to the community.
As someone who’s parent is a small-scale vegetable and fruit producer, some of my best
memories of Wolfville are at the farmer’s market. As a young child I remember walking around
the market with my sister, listening to the music and visiting vendors while our parents were
busy running their stand. My parents moved their business to other farmer’s markets quite a long
time ago, but the Wolfville market continued to stick with me and I was happy to be able to start
visiting more regularly after beginning my studies at Acadia University last semester.
The Wolfville Farmers Market planted roots in the local community in 1992, with 3
vendors setting up shop in the Parking lot besides Robie Tufts Park. As the popularity of the
market, and number of vendors, grew in the following years new locations that could
accommodate this growth were required. In 2005 the market moved into the Acadia Student
Union Building, then in 2011 opened doors in its current home, the DeWolfe building. During
this time there were a variety of other developments and additions to the market, such as the
renting out of the Community Room to host events and programs, and the building of a
commercial community kitchen. In 2020, initially as part of a Covid-19 pandemic response, the
market opened its online store, WFM2Go. WFM2Go provides the option for shoppers to order
market products online, then pick-up their order during pre-arranged times at a variety of
locations.
Currently, the Saturday market provides a space for 74 vendors to support their
businesses in the local community, including farms, bakeries, prepared food vendors and
artisans. It runs from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Additionally, the Saturday market features live
music from local artists. For Acadia students, the market offers a variety of opportunities through
employment, co-op, and volunteer positions.
So why shop at local farmer’s markets? They can provide important spaces for
community building, promote more sustainable models of production, and support local
businesses. As Kelly pointed out, it’s more than just an economic venture, “a market is a social
enterprise.” The Wolfville Farmers Market can be found on Instagram @wolfvillefarmersmarket
and at wolfvillefarmersmarket.ca.
