London Inc. Early Summer 2024 - 11

" IT'S NOT JUST
A MARKET; IT'S
A COMMUNITY
SPACE WHERE SO
MANY PEOPLE
ARE INVOLVED
IN BRINGING IT
MORE LIFE, MORE
CULTURE " -Amy Watt
cians, and they have about a thousand people come through
the market on an average Saturday morning (the market runs
9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays from Victoria Day weekend to
Thanksgiving weekend). Many vendors say it's their best and
most profitable market, and it's become a mainstay on many
people's weekend calendars in the city's west end.
" The Komoka Community Market is the best outdoor
farmers' market in the London area, " says Sean Hannam of
Artisan Bakery, located in Old East Village. " We have seen
great success attending that market. The organizers do a
great job of filling the booths, and customers in that area are
very excited to have quality foods available. "
Undoubtedly, the market has certainly been helped by the
explosive growth of the city's west side, and much of its foot
traffic comes from the Komoka, Kilworth and RiverBend
communities. But it's drawing city folk, too. Despite alternatives
closer to home, Watt says that they see a good chunk
of traffic driving out to Komoka from the city. Vendors, too.
" They'll come, and a lot of their customer base will follow
them, " she says.
" It's really become a launch pad for young entrepreneurs,
businesses and musicians, " Watt says. " It's not just a market;
it's a community space where so many people are involved in
bringing it more life, more culture. I think in that way, it's kind
of taken on a life of its own. "
For Watt and her husband, thinking about the future of the
market is more a matter of wondering where the market will
take them, rather than the other way around. " I don't really
have any goals beyond what we're doing - and I haven't for the
last three years, really. It just seems to grow because community
involvement grows, " Watt says.
More than anything, it's that community enthusiasm that
drives and shapes the market and its place in the community
- even during trying intervals.
" There have been a few times when I've said to my husband,
'We're not doing it anymore.' And then inevitably somebody
comes along the next day and says something like, 'I want to
take over your social media - you shouldn't have to do that
anymore.' It's happened so many times. It's like all these miracles
happen around the market. "
KIERAN DELAMONT
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