New Seaport Farmers Market Location Opens This Saturday

Halifax-It’s been a tough two years for vendors at Halifax’s Seaport Farmers Market. On top of Covid-19 bringing business to a halt for months on end, they also had to get used to a new, temporary location.

In March of 2021, the market was moved from its familiar space on the waterfront to a nearby cruise berth. But now, the Seaport market will get its third home since 2021, this time in a permanent location at the west end of the former Cunard Centre.

The 18,000-square-foot market has enough space for 100 tables and will be making its debut to the public on Saturday, July 9. To celebrate its grand opening, the Seaport Farmers Market will have live entertainment and family-friendly activities.

“First off, we want to thank our vendors and customers for staying with us through all these changes over the past two years,” Nick Garside, the director of real estate at the Halifax Port Authority, said in a press release. “We hope their patience and dedication is rewarded with this new space that we are moving into.”

One vendor who is looking forward to the move is Jaskirat Rekhi, the manager of Amin’s Indian Cuisine, which began operating at the Seaport Farmers Market five years ago.

“I think it’s a bright and spacious place,” said Rekhi. “The first location was the crème de la crème but I think with the market staff and vendors, we can bring that magic back on.”

“I really hope moving to the new, permanent location will also bring a permanent home to the market and business will be better.”

Rekhi recalls the early days of the pandemic in 2020, when severe restrictions cut off nearly all business for food establishments like Amin’s. But one good thing came out of the carnage. Forced to be creative, Amin’s began selling wholesale products to stores in the HRM. They now have six outlets that sell their cuisine.

“So, it also gave us an opportunity to reach more venues for business,” Rekhi said.

“Business was obviously very, very, low. As with a lot of food businesses, we were closed for a long time and there was no interaction with the client. Definitely, there was a downturn. But since things have been opening up, we have seen people coming back.”

In terms of the temporary location vendors used for a little over a year, Rekhi says it went better than expected. He credited market staff for making the transition as smooth as possible.

“Initially, we thought it was going to be a challenge, going to a new location. But the people and the market staff supported everything. The downside of the pandemic has been taken care of now in the past year.”

“The place was much better than we expected. The place was perfectly laid out [and] the staff helped us make that transition very smoothly and effortlessly.”

“In the peak of the summertime, it was back to previous levels.”

The new Seaport Farmers Market location at 961 Marginal Road will operate during these hours:

• Saturday – 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

• Sunday – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].