Summary
Vancouver city officials have done enough to help the struggling indoor farmers market on the ground floor of Esther Short Commons. The city charged below-market rental rates and helped find donors to partially pay for tenant improvements.
But as Jeffrey Mize reported in Tuesday's Columbian, the city's efforts have not been enough to keep the indoor market from running up a $212,000 debt and a projected $130,000 loss for this year. And so, Vancouver Farmers Market announced on Monday that it would close the indoor market on Sept. 30 (although a few vendors are still trying to work out a deal with the city). Painful as this closing will be, it's the right thing to do. For one thing, it will keep the indoor market from becoming a greater financial burden on the highly successful outdoor market, which during its April-through-October season this year is expected to make $50,000-$60,000. Another advantage: This decision severs the city's connection to a failing endeavor. "We did as much as we could to help them," Mayor Royce Pollard said. "The most important thing is to continue to make the outdoor market the great success that it is. The future of downtown does not really hinge on the indoor market at this time."See the full content of this document
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In Our View: Closing Doors
Matt Newstrom, Vanco...
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