After months of trying to stay afloat, a local produce market is getting a second chance with their brand-new initiative starting on Wednesday, June 3.
Square Roots Port Hawkesbury, who sells their products at a discounted rate for everyone to enjoy, had to shut down operations earlier this year after the initiative lost government funding.
Now, to help them out, the Town is allowing them to run a Community Market for free at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre with over 20 other vendors selling homemade or homegrown products.
Community Manager Michele Tabensky is excited to kickoff the first market and encourages people to come before or after dinner, or to eat there while browsing various merchants.
“We just hope that everybody comes out and enjoys the market. It’s our first one so hopefully it’s a good success and we look forward to doing them every month for the rest of the year and twice in November and December,” she promotes.
Tabensky says there will be something for everyone there, including ready-to-eat food, sweet treats, crafts, jewellery, clothing and wood products.
“We’ll have our produce there, which is always great to get fresh produce,” she shares.
Coastal K-9 Rescue Society will be the first guest at the community service table and they will be accepting cash donations that they will acknowledge with a token of appreciation, along with collecting good condition dog items.
There will also be a local harper providing music to listen to as guests shop and browse.
According to Tabensky, there’s still room for more vendors to register to sell their goods for future dates by completing the registration form.
The 2026 Community Market dates are set for the following Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.:
• June 3
• July 2
• August 5
• September 2
• October 7
• November 4 and 18
• December 2 and 16
Tabensky says they decided to move their monthly Saturday sales to Wednesdays for other vendor tables to cover cost for their leftovers that are donated to those in need.
She says Wednesdays also work well as the fresh produce can been delivered that day and guests could be more available during the week than on weekends, especially during the warmer months.
