First dibs on produce

For those that like to travel to Terrace on Saturdays to take in the Farmer’s market there, the chance to get a head start on your shopping has arrived. Tourism Prince Rupert announced yesterday that every Thursday afternoon there will be a public market set up in downtown Prince Rupert.

Located between Fourth and Fifth streets along Third Avenue, the market will feature a variety of items from both Prince Rupert and Terrace vendors. Operating under the banner of the Salmonberry Trading Company Society the market will run every Thursday in the summer from 4:30 to 8 pm.

It began its first week of operation earlier today.

The Daily News had further details on the plans in the Wednesday paper.

Downtown market set to breathe fresh life into the city
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Pages one and nine

Prince Rupert residents and visitors to the community are all being invited to the launch of the Third Avenue Market tomorrow night, a new weekly event in the downtown core.

Each Thursday during the summer season, vendors from Prince Rupert and Terrace operating under the Salmonberry Trading Company Society umbrella will feature arts, crafts, and food between Fourth and Fifth Streets, along Third Avenue between 4:30 and 8 p. m.

“At Tourism Prince Rupert our intention is to assist in the creation of a street market similar to what is seen in other communities,” said Bruce Wishart, executive director of Tourism Prince Rupert.

“By having a variety of vendors, such as those offering produce, we hope that this will attract residents of Prince Rupert to the market.

“Between the Third Avenue Market, what Communities in bloom is doing with live entertainment, Wednesday events at Chances, and other initiatives such as the discussions at Nisga’a Hall, we hope that this will act as a catalyst for even more activities.”

Wishart says there should be around 12 vendors out tomorrow night for the market’s jumpoff week. which includes four vendors from Terrace. In addition to exhibiting local arts, crafts and cuisine, it’s hoped the market will be a place where local farmers can sell fresh produce to residents and visitors alike.

The idea of having a weekly market in Prince Rupert is not only coming to life to encourage more involvement in the community from passengers from the Norwegian Star cruise ship that docks each Thursday, but also to appeal to area residents that want to shop local and get outdoors once a week.

“Cruise visitors tend to express that there are limited opportunities for independent exploration of the community,’ said Wishart.

“They explore Cow Bay and the museums, but still hope for something more. Our hope is that they will provide enough customers to make the Third Avenue Market truly viable, which will in turn create an event that is of value to resident and visitor alike.”

Tourism Prince Rupert is hopeful that the market will have a successful start tomorrow night, and grown into a larger gathering in the weeks and years to come.

Wishart says that all indications thus far point to 2008 being a successful cruise ship season for the city, as they’ve received a great deal of positive feedback and are seeing more and more visitors finding their way to even farther reaches of the community than in previous years.

With beautiful local banners hanging, and a strong commitment on the part of the current City Ambassadors, visitors are getting a truly local experience when they step foot in Prince Rupert, said the Tourism Prince Rupert representative.

However, Wishart said there’s still room for more Ambassadors and he encouraged and residents willing to give up a few hours of their time each week to promote the city to get involved.

“With the Third Avenue Market, we feel that we would actually be able to use more Ambassadors to draw people out further into the community,” said Wishart.

“People might not understand that you don’t need to be an expert on Prince Rupert to be an Ambassador. You really just need to hand out some information and answer some basic questions like ‘Where’s the post office?’ And we’ll try and train people on some more advanced information if needed, but you really just need to be a friendly local point of contact.”

Anyone interested in becoming a City Ambassador or interested in finding out more information about the Third Avenue Market is encouraged to contact Rebecca Parks of Tourism Prince Rupert at 624-8687.