It was raining the first time someone showed up to volunteer at the Spryfield Farmers Market.
They didn't know anyone. They weren't sure they were needed. They just knew they wanted to be part of something — the local food movement, yes, but also something harder to name. Community. The kind you bump into, not the kind you schedule.
So they showed up anyway, in the rain, and got to work.
They met other volunteers that day. They met board members. They kept coming back — Sundays, season after season — and somewhere in the rhythm of it, those people stopped being strangers. One of them spotted this person out in the neighbourhood one day, stopped to chat, and asked if they'd ever thought about joining the board. They said yes. And just like that, what started as a rainy Sunday became something they'd carry with them for years.
That's how a lot of people find their place at this market. Not through a formal process. Not because they had everything figured out. They just showed up, and the market met them where they were.
These things take time. Relationships form slowly, then all at once. The market has survived venue changes, a pandemic, and all the adventures a scrappy neighbourhood market tends to collect. And the people who make it what it is keep coming back — not because they have to, but because something about it sticks.
It's market season again, and we are looking for vendors, volunteers, and musicians to be part of it.
If you've been on the fence — wondering if your product is ready, if you'll know what to do, if there's really room for someone like you — here's what we can tell you: most of the people here felt that way once. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to show up.
The Spryfield Farmers Market is a neighbourhood market. It is not precious or perfect. It is full of people who arrived not knowing anyone and left feeling like regulars. That's how most of us got here.
We'd love to see you this season. To find out more about getting involved as a vendor, volunteer, or musician, visit our Get Involved page at spryfieldmarket.ca or send us an email at spryfieldfarmersmarket@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/spryfieldmarket and on Instagram at @spryfieldmarket.
We'll be there. Rain or shine.