Michelle Bennett of Crooked Fence Farm did a brisk business at the very first downtown Langley City farmers markets.
Buyers emptied most of her stock from her shelves during the four hours the market, with about 30 vendors, was operating in the parking lot outside the Timms Community Centre on Saturday.
Bennett said there were a lot of walk-ins, people who didn’t know there was a market until they happened to pass by.
“We were busy the whole day, which was nice,” Bennett said.
“It was really good.”
Cherise McGee, manager of the Langley Community Farmers’ Market, said initial estimates placed the turnout at 600 people, about what the market had been projecting.
She expects the numbers will grow as word gets out.
The addition of a downtown market in 2018 comes as the other Langley farmers market, currently staged in the courtyard of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Langley campus on Wednesday afternoons, marks its 10th anniversary.
READ MORE: Finally, a weekend farmers market in Langley City
The new “Farmers Market in the City” will be held outdoors in the parking lot of the Timms Community centre at 20399 Douglas Crescent, along the 56 Avenue side from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday until Oct. 6.
Just days before it opened, the market was a victim of theft.
Security video footage captured two people stealing four large white 10’ x 10’ tents, black and white flags, and table coverings from storage in the parking lot under the Timms Community Centre.
The supplies were brand new and had been purchased through a grant from the City of Langley specifically for the Saturday Market. The Wednesday market at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which opened on May 16, has separate equipment and was not affected.
The tents were still in the cardboard boxes.
The City has agreed to donate more funds to replace all of the items.
READ MORE: Thieves steal $2,200 in supplies from Langley Community Farmers’ Market
Langley RCMP have opened a file on the theft. Anyone with information can call the RCMP at 604-532-3200. To remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.solvecrime.ca.
dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
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