The Ottawa Street Market Management sent an email on Friday letting us know that the market WILL be open for June 6th. We will be there!
Market is going to look a lot different, so here is what you can expect:
- There will be an entry point and exit point on Edinburgh Ave so that the number of people in the market at a given time can be monitored. You will not be able to enter the market from the Britannia Ave side.
- Because the number of people allowed in the market at a given time will be limited, we ask everyone to please shop with the minimum number of people from your household and as quickly as possible. We understand that coming to market on Saturdays has been an enjoyable family and social activity in the past, but this will not be possible for the time being. Take turns coming to market with other adults in your household if possible. If you meet your friends in the market, finish your shopping quickly and have a physically distant sidewalk visit outside of the market so that others can enter. We know this will be hard, and that it subtracts from some of the best parts of our local market. It will be hard for us to minimize our conversations with all of you! This is what we have to do in order to work with the Public Health requirements for opening the market.
- The market will be providing hand sanitizer at the entry and exit points. All vendors are required to sanitize hands frequently and whenever handling payments.
- Our bountiful displays will not be in evidence. All of the produce will be displayed BEHIND 6 ft tables, to maintain a proper distance between product/ourselves and customers. We will have a large sign with a list of available items and prices. If you are able to take a look and think about what you want while waiting, that will speed the process. You will still be able to see the produce! When it is your turn, you will make your selections, and Adam will either bag your items for you, or provide them to you in a tray (at another table) where you can bag them yourself (all surfaces will be sanitized after any contact). I'm also making a plan for a cloth bag program where you can pay a deposit on a cloth bag and return it each week so that we can pack your items for you in cloth!
- We encourage you to think about pre-ordering through our website, or choosing our weekly "grab bag" which will have different items every week (we'll try to let everyone know in advance what the bag will be, but this will not always be possible).
- We will be wearing cloth masks and following all public health guidelines on self-monitoring. We will have one person selecting your purchases for you and another person taking payments.
- Payments options will be: cash (exact change where possible), credit and debit card, etransfer (particularly if you do online banking on your phone), cheque or our Market Credit program (prepaid credit that you use on a declining balance like a gift card with manual entry).
I may be missing something here, but will update again if there is other information you need.