New Public Market Blooms in Longtime Vernon Business

This fall and winter, the Swan Lake Market and Garden will host more events than ever before.

The Vernon Grocery Store and Garden Center is making the most of the extra space on the property now that the gardening season is fully over. The store offers patrons a public market made up of about 75 local artisans and vendors.

New owner Derrick Cooke has been running this groundbreaking business for nearly two years. The store was closed for the winter before Cook took over the business. But with the public market up and running for the first time, Cook wants people to know that Swan Lake is a year-round business.

“They (the previous owners) were open in the winter for many years before our administration, but in recent history they were closed for the winter. We weren’t really aware of it, so it was a little difficult. We’re open,” Cook said. “But now it’s open 24/7 and has a great grocery and wellness department.”

For just $20 a day at a wooden booth and $10 at other pop-up spaces on site, vendors have an economical space to sell their wares in the public market.

“I think it’s a win-win for a small local vendor to have a platform and be able to offer this space at a very affordable price to leverage our traffic and gain exposure in the community,” Cook said. said.

Vendors are only set up on weekends, but the market is open for a week, December 3-11, called Swan Lake Christmas Market Week.

“It would be a good kickoff to have Santa pictures taken at the public market on the 3rd and 4th as planned, and an actual outdoor Christmas market on the 5th to 9th,” Cook said. .

Visitors can find a wide range of merchandise at the market, from gems and jewelry to coffee roasting machines, photography, art and Christmas crafts.

Julene Koslowski, owner of Camelot Haven Alpacas, filled her booth with handmade gloves and hats on November 19th.

“I think it’s a nice idea,” she said of the open market.

Elaine Armstrong, another vendor of glass-fused Christmas ornaments, said business in the market was sluggish, but she hoped the word would spread and attract more customers. is hoping for

“The market is coming up. It’s starting to feel like a real Christmas. There’s a wood-burning stove, it’s lit, it’s almost like a festival,” she said. should be checked.”

It is hoped that the public market will become an annual tradition, depending on how much business the market attracts.

“I hope we get a positive response. We can do this next year and the year after, and create a fall and winter tradition that people can rely on,” Cook said.

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Brendan Sikora

Farmers Market Home & Garden Vernon