ESTEVAN - The first Estevan Farmers’ Market Christmas sale of the year will happen on Nov. 27.
The sales will be weekly on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the first market on Nov. 27 and the last one on Dec. 18. There will also be Friday sessions from 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 10 and 17. All six will happen inside the Estevan Market Mall.
Estevan Farmers’ Market manager Marilyn Simons said they are “blessed” to be in the mall once again this year.
The average number of vendors at each sale will be 30. A total of 40 vendors have signed up, although some of those vendors won’t be at all six sales. They have 12 new vendors this year, so Simons said each date will always have something new to check out.
“People will look forward to seeing a variety of new vendors and familiar faces from week to week,” said Simons. “Some vendors will stay each week and some vendors will be new each week.”
The Friday sales were started last year due to COVID, and the Farmers’ Market found some extra traffic came to the mall.
“We experimented with them last year, and we were pleased with the results, so we wanted to try again,” said Simons.
They decided to bring back the Friday sales this year because of the favourable response from the vendors and the mall.
The Christmas markets will offer staples like baking, cookies, dainty trays, canning, vegetables, perogies, jewelry, bath bombs, soap, wood working, barn-wood signs, handmade clothing, commercial jeans, fabrics, crochet products, coins, alpaca items, dream catchers, Thirty One Gifts and Tupperware, she said.
Merchandise new for this year will include dog treats, custom gift baskets, home décor, hand crafted pens, artisan sour dough bread, commercial clothing, vintage baby clothes, donuts, faux leather earrings, lotions, bath truffles and chalk couture.
“These are probably some of the biggest sales for our vendors all year,” said Simons. “We have some vendors that specifically come indoors. They don’t even go to our outside markets, and I know they all look forward to them.”
Vendors are small, independent entrepreneurs as well, and they rely on these sales to feed their families.
“Supporting local just means so much to these vendors, and our market we truly are thankful to our community for supporting us, because we know many people that live in Estevan and the surrounding areas have already been supporting us for many, many, many years, and even more so during COVID.”
During tough times, people come out to support the markets, which is much appreciated.
New for this year will be Estevan Farmers’ Market gift certificates.
“If anybody would like to come in … and they’re not sure what to buy somebody, but they know they frequent the Farmers Market even in the summertime, they’re more than welcome to just come buy a gift certificate, and then those gift certificates can be used with any of our vendors, all year,” said Simons.
All COVID-19 regulations will be followed at the sales.
