A little over a month since the January 26 fire at Symons Valley Ranch, and vendors from the farmer's market are still struggling according to Dawn Buschert, one of the vendors and owner of Shirley's Greenhouse in Didsbury.

"It's been actually very stressful for a lot of the vendors. A lot of them, that was their only source of income and their only business, and then some of them didn't have proper insurance or they had some insurance but not enough insurance, so they're just reeling from this."

Despite their struggles, the community of vendors are slowly rebuilding. Some are able to sell at other markets in Calgary, Cochrane or Olds. The community will also come together this weekend for a pop-up market in the parking lot at Symons Valley on Saturday (March 4) from 11:00am-2:00pm. Buschert says many of the vendors will be there, reconnecting with customers they haven't seen since the fire. 

"That event's going on this weekend, and then it will be going on every second weekend until we get our temporary facility built, hopefully sometime in June."

There will be an opportunity to offer words of condolences to the affected vendors, as well as fundraisers for vendors that are struggling with insurance costs.

Buschert says that there are also already plans to house the market in the short- and long-term.

"I think what they're going to do is a bit of a domed structure, just a temporary domed structure, that we can sell our goods out of for a couple years, and then in the meantime they will be building a proper market facility."

 

Read More:

Fire Ravages Symons Valley Ranch

Fire Leaves Vendors Reeling