Close to the hustle and bustle of Waterloo is a charming market frozen in time. The St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market will transport you into a different era – an era before food delivery and before you could buy food from a grocery store.Â
Located on the corner of King St N and Weber St N, just off highway 85, the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market has something for everyone. Containing over 250 vendors, you’ll find clothing, jewelry, hand-crafted goods, artwork, and of course, fresh produce from local farmers. Popular items include farm-picked berries, fruits and freshly baked bread.
Perhaps if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of a horse-and-buggy. St. Jacobs is home to Canada’s largest Old Order Mennonite population, who can often be seen transporting their goods to and from the market and traveling throughout the surrounding area.
St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market traces its roots to 1952 and has been a regional treasure ever since. Operating Thursdays and Saturdays year-round, the facility includes an outdoor market and two indoor pavilions. In a devastating blow to the community, one of the pavilions was destroyed in a fire in 2013. Fortunately, the heartbreak was mended after the pavilion was rebuilt just a few months later. Although another fire challenged the second pavilion in 2016, there was no serious damage.
Across from the market sits the St. Jacobs Outlet Mall. Although not officially associated with the Farmers’ Market, the St. Jacobs Outlet Mall makes for a great addition to your outing, featuring items in clothing, shoes, and home décor. In a poetic contrast between tradition and modernity, the Farmers’ Market and the Outlet Mall enhance one another, with both having become an integral part of the market scene.
If you’re a festive soul, you’ll be excited to learn that the Farmers’ Market becomes a Christmas market during the holiday season. Including goods of all kinds, the Christmas market has something to get everyone in the holiday spirit. Naturally, a cold Canadian Christmas market would be incomplete without some warm food and hot chocolate found inside the pavilions!
But don’t wait until the holidays to stop by St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, they’re open Thursdays from 8am to 3pm and Saturdays from 7am to 3:30pm. And come out to their Harvest Hoedown Friday September 23rd! The evening is complete with country dancing, live music, an artisan market and more! Check online for more information and pay a visit to our local Farmers’ Market.