St. Jacobs Farmers' Market
St. Jacobs Farmers' Market is a farmers' market and flea market in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the south of King Street North, to the east of Weber Street North, and to the west of the railway tracks. It is the largest year-round farmer's market in Canada, and is a popular destination for residents of the town and nearby communities, as well as tourists from Canada, the United States, and Europe. It draws about 1 million visitors annually.
It was established in April 1975. The main building of the market was destroyed by a fire on 2 September 2013. The market re-opened on 11 June 2015 in a restored and expanded $5 million facility.
The market was established in April 1975 by Jim Wideman and seven other individuals, who merged a three-owner stockyard based in Waterloo with a five-owner stockyard based in Kitchener. It was originally "just tents outside on the pavement". In 1986, a two-storey 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2) heavy timber building was constructed on the site, the frame of which used 12"x12" Douglas fir beams from British Columbia.
The market consists of the Peddler's Village building for the flea market and some food vendors, buildings each housing a single retailer, and a lot in which up to 150 vendors set up an outdoor shop from spring to autumn.
The two-storey food building, owned by Mercedes Corporation since the 1990s, was the central building of the market in which operated 68 vendors before its destruction by fire. On the lower level were food vendors, and on the upper level were located home decoration and crafts vendors.
The site also has a livestock barn and petting barn.
The main building of the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market was destroyed by a fire on the morning of 2 September 2013. Forty-five firefighters from four stations were required to extinguish the fire. The fire did not harm any people, or the livestock in a nearby building. The fire caused about $2 million of damage to the building. A fire alarm system had been installed in the building in early 2013, and a fire sprinkler system had been planned for installation. Woolwich Fire Department chief Rick Pedersen said a fire sprinkler system could have prevented the building's destruction or minimized damage caused by the fire.
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