Homegrown market is some good

Artisans all about giving back and showcasing local vendors.

 

 

Kyle Reid

Kicker

From a humble beginning in a backyard tent, Laurie Legrow has watched the Some Good Market grow into quite a local phenomenon.

“The vendors come from all over all over, we’ve had some come from as far as British Columbia,” said Legrow. “We’ve had people visiting in the summer from teaching in South Korea, from Australia — it’s amazing.”

Legrow started the Some Good Market selling knitted items out of a tent in the backyard of her Hodgewater Line home in 2012. In six years the market has grown exponentially, sometimes hosting up to 80 vendors.

Legrow says the market has become the “some good family.”

 

Admission to the market is free with a donation to the Community Food Sharing Association. Greeting customers as they enter the St. Thomas Church hall are aromas of the fresh deli products, homemade coffee, spicy Indian food and sweet baked goods.

“It gives vendors the opportunity to showcase their products,” said Legrow.

Retired teacher and coffee enthusiast, Steve Bannister, showcased brewing techniques as he explained the chemistry of the process while brewing a cup of home-roasted coffee in a decanter.

“This is the teacher in me,” said Bannister after explaining to onlookers how stirring grounds while brewing releases carbon dioxide allowing for a richer tasting cup of coffee.

While the contribution the market makes to the Community Food Sharing Association is notable, the Some Good Market gives small operations like Bannister’s Goodkarma Coffee the opportunity to promote themselves.

“I’ve actually only been doing this since October,” said Bannister, who demonstrated various pouring and brewing techniques to onlookers. “We sell online but I go to markets to showcase  (my product).”

Held weekly in Brigus, the Some Good Market comes to St. John’s biweekly creating an opportunity for vendors in the city. It has come a long way from the tent in Legrow’s backyard.

“In the beginning, I’d have chickens walking through tents and friends of mine would drop over, but sometimes other people would come by too,” said Legrow. “It really grew from there.”

The homegrown origins are part of the market’s charm, as are the vendors themselves.

“Drop by for a coffee and a chat,” said Bannister with a smile crossing his face.