Vendors at the Centennial Market are already affected by the news that the market will be moving in a few years.
Last week, Regina City Council passed a motion that will see the old Sears Outlet location be redeveloped into a U-Haul public self-storage facility, which currently houses the market’s 200 vendors.
Matt Thompson, the owner of Tall Grass Apparel and a vendor at the market, explained how this opportunity for local entrepreneurs has really helped grow businesses.
“My business went up 300 per cent the second I moved in there,” said Thompson.
However the news that the market will have to find a new location in the future has vendors wondering what is next for their businesses.
While the news is disappointing for shoppers and sellers, Thompson admitted he understands the reasoning behind the move.
“We aren’t paying the bills to keep the building afloat, so they need to do something. I just wish there was a third option that we had thought of at some point,” he stated.
The decision by city council doesn’t mean the market is closing its doors at their current location any time soon, though. U-Haul still needs to plan the transition of the building into a storage facility which may take a few years before they start converting the space.
Thompson mentioned how people are only seeing the headlines that the market is closing, which isn’t true.
“We’ve had to explain it over and over that we are not, and there’s been people who have not been coming in because they thought we were already closed. So it’s effected my business already.”
The Centennial Market is opened Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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