Yaletown Farmers Market

It spans around two blocks approx and I took some out of town U2 fans to do this ’cause they really wanted to do a farmer’s market and even though it was small, it was the only farmer’s market that happened in the middle of the week that was travel friendly close to the venue. I think that we were all disappointed. It wasn’t so much about the size but more who was there in terms of booth. No produce, no diary, one egg booth and a sausage booth and the rest were the same old suspects that you would find at other farmers markets. Not a good mid week representation in terms of what our farmers market culture has to offer and or display to tourists. Hours of operation are in the early afternoon to 6 pm, therefore, only friendly if you work in the area.

Had the opportunity to see this thursday afternoon right by the skytrain station in yaletown. it was a small farmers market with about 10 vendors. there was one bakery that looked very yummy and crowded. your typical fruits, veges, meat products.
good location, wish it was bigger and had more varieties!

Perfect for a small farmer’s market. Organic and local, a great variety of fresh produce, and fair prices: A bundle of organic beets for $ 3 (3 good sized bulbs with beet greens), sweet and firm organic cherry, free range chicken and eggs, organic beans, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, all kinds of lettuce, free range grass fed dairy products, mushrooms, and more. The bread and baked goods booth is always busy. The live music was quite decent.

I really like this little market. It’s small, but it has a good selection fresh organic produce and more. All the vendors are really friendly.

Decent selection of produce/​vendors, the fact that you can buy «tokens» with debit and credit to spend at the vendors is also pretty great too. That being said, you are charged a $ 2 transaction fee per purchase of tokens. There are enough banks in the immediate vicinity that you would probably be able to find yours and withdraw cash for free.
PureBread was absolutely mind blowing. The lines for the four cheese loaf was SO worth it. Blue Comet has some of the best candied salmon I’ve ever tasted. Taves apple barn was also a big favorite of mine.
The real reason this market lost stars for me: I was honestly expecting this to be a LOT more organized. Yes I realize that this takes place on an already busy one way street in an already congested part of town (Mainland), but for Yaletown the whole thing just seemed like a cluster f.
All the signage that is up for this states that the market is open from 12 – 4 on Thursdays.
(First off, Thursday? Who is off work at 3 or 4 to take advantage of the market anyways? I digress.)That is all fine and dandy until you get down there at 12:30 and realize that it doesn’t ACTUALLY start until 1pm — sometimes as late as 1:30/1:45. It changes from week to week based on how fast set up is completed. When I inquired as to why this is, the organizer on site let me know that they have to have time to clear Mainland Street/​allow vendors to set up. (Edit: when I checked the webpage for the YFM, it says the street closes as early as 10am to allow for prep/​set up? What the…)
Once everyone is set up, then they open and allow all purchases to start at the same time. Again, I realize that this is done for sake of fairness, but I don’t think it is fair that sellers whom are organized and arrive on time can’t reap the benefits (aka me/​lots of other wanderers just wanting something fresh for supper). Further, there are lots of nearby spaces (roundhouse, parks, less busy roadways) that would make better location selections so «closing off «Mainland wouldn’t be such a headache. Or you know, they could just change the signage.
Coles notes: go around 2pm if you are in the area. I bet there will still be plenty of goods available.

thursday afternoons… we stumbled on this market! And enjoyed a pint of. Blueberries and the people watching. Great selection and great prices, live music and dogs look to be allowed. Great addition to the neighbourhood and good turn out for a grey day.