Brome Lake market

Robert Paterson

The Brome Lake Market’s return to Maple Street has sparked concerns around three key areas among some of the Town’s resident merchants.

If this move back to Maple is temporary, the intent is always to return to a site near the Pettes Library; why has the Town spent more than $150,000 on remediating the site? Secondly, many permanent merchants cannot open a stall as they are committed to their permanent sites. So, they fear that the market threatens their essential summer Saturday business. Lastly, as only four of the 23 stalls are local, they ask whom the market serves.

Mayor Richard Burcombe responded to these concerns in a short interview.

“Temporary, in reality, might be more than three years,” Mayor Richard Burcombe clarified. “We all know how slowly the grant application and site planning wheels move. In reality, the Maple market may be there for some time. What the Council wishes at Maple is a site that functions well and serves both the vendors and visitors. With a timeline of three-plus years, the investment is necessary.”

The competition issue is more nuanced. “Is having a market an issue for local merchants?” Mayor Burcombe responded: “It draws many people downtown on a Saturday morning. Do these people not also have their favourite alternatives to visit as well as the market?” He noted that most small towns, including nearby Sutton and Mansonville, have a Saturday mix of temporary market and permanent merchants, as Brome Lake has also had for many years.

Lastly, regarding who the market serves, market research based on collecting attendees’ postal codes suggests that the Brome Lake Market mainly attracts local residents.

A crucial meeting was set to take place on Monday 17th June, providing an opportunity for further discussion and resolution of these pressing issues.