Bad weather hampered sales for many businesses across the city but none felt the pinch more than vendors exposed to the snow at Belleville's Farmers' Market.
The city experienced another bout of wintry weather as up to 10 centimetres of snow were expected on the ground by the end of Saturday. Slick and icy roads in some spots made for a tricky commute for motorists in parts of the city.
That nasty weather wreaked havoc at the market as many vendors scrambled to keep their products protected from the mounting snow.
Matt Lucy called the day a "terrible" time for him to sell his natural granolas and reusable artisan wax globes.
Lucy said many customers opted to stay home due to safety concerns that the roads might be too treacherous because of all the snow on city streets.
"There's not much going on down here," he said. "We're getting a lot more snow than we thought."
The Belleville resident said it was a shame they weren't able to take advantage of the busiest shopping weekend before Christmas. He said many vendors packed up early and went home.
"There's no customers just vendors," he said. "It's just weather-related why people aren't out here in numbers."
Lucy quipped that he was willing to cut his losses and move on just as "long as we don't end up like western Ontario."
Lucy said maybe it was time city officials start thinking about transforming the Memorial Arena, located adjacent to the market, into an indoor shopping venue.
He said similar sized areas such as Stratford already boast a "beautiful indoor market."
"It would be a nice reason to have an indoor market there," he said. "This (farmer's market) is nice with the overhead cover they have here but when you get a snowy day it's rough."
Christel Haan shared a similar sentiment. She said even though sales plummeted due to the weather "it hasn't been a total loss."
Haan said a handful of her dedicated customers did brave the weather to purchase their favourite meat products such as her meat pies.
"Two centimetres they had promised us, not this constant flaking," she said.
She said shoppers would rather visit indoor venues such as the Quinte Mall where they can evade the snow. Haan said she had no intention to pack up until the 2 p.m. deadline she promised her clients.
"If you promised people that you're staying here until a certain time you do have to stay," she said. "Maybe they will come."
The market will be open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
jmiller@intelligencer.ca
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