Tents are set up along Cowrie Street as the Sechelt Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market opened its thirty-second season under clear skies. Shoppers drifted in at a steady pace. Bread still warm from the oven. Greens stacked in damp crates. A row of tables holding jars of jam, pickles and honey.
Interest in local enterprise runs deep in the Sunshine Coast, where independent ventures shape the community’s daily rhythm. That same spirit is finding new ground in other arenas, drawing attention from audiences well beyond the Coast. Local enterprise takes many forms, from weekend craft markets to small-scale food producers finding loyal followings. Some of these ventures have shifted online, reaching wider audiences and adapting to new ways of doing business.
That same move into the digital space is shaping trends in gaming as well, with Cash App casinos among the platforms drawing attention. Some platforms accept using Cash App for withdrawals, which can streamline how players move money in and out of accounts. Using an app-based system can also reduce the need to enter bank details directly on the site, making the process more straightforward.
Innovation often grows from the same roots as tradition, with new tools and systems emerging alongside established ways of working. The adaptability shown in moving from local stalls to wider audiences mirrors how many ventures on the Coast balance heritage with progress. It is a pattern just as visible in the region’s markets, where familiar routines blend with fresh ideas season after season.
It is the largest outdoor market on the Sunshine Coast, running Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. behind the library. A wide range of approved vendors will rotate through the season. A new food court under the totem poles is serving hot meals alongside long-time produce and craft stalls.
The District renewed the market’s licence for 2025 and has asked staff to draft options for 2026. Downtown construction and traffic changes are prompting a review of how the space is laid out.
Gibsons keeps weekends lively with the Lower G Saturday Markets outside Gibsons Public Market. The series runs through late August and brings an ever-changing list of artisans and food producers under the open sky. Music sets a casual pace while shoppers move between tables stacked with berries, loaves, flowers and small-batch staples.
Wednesdays belong to Roberts Creek, where the community market operates year-round and swells in summer. Tents cluster near the hall as growers set out carrots, beets and leafy heads still cool from morning harvests. Soap makers, jam makers and textile artists round out a lineup that trades on conversation as much as goods.
Davis Bay hosts a Saturday market during the warmer months, with local produce, honey, baked goods and prepared foods sold beside the community hall. The shoreline setting adds to the pull; waves carry across the grass as vendors talk weather, soil and what’s ripening next.
Pender Harbour’s market in Madeira Park offers a range of local produce, baked goods and crafts, drawing shoppers from across the northern Coast. Organizers pair the stalls with casual music and a small kitchen service for simple, hot plates.
Markets bring more than ambience. A study by the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets found $3.4 million in direct sales across the Sechelt and qathet markets, with an average spend of $41 per visit and peak counts of around 397 shoppers an hour in Sechelt. Those numbers explain why storefronts near market sites report their own bump on busy days.
Everywhere, the focus stays local. Growers, fishers, foragers and makers selling only what they produce. The draw is as much about the conversations as the goods. Shopping on foot. Swapping recipes. Seeing what’s in season. With summer past its peak, the markets feel settled and busy, set for the weeks ahead.
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