Blackfoot Farmer’s Market
This report, we’ll be looking at the Blackfoot Farmer’s Market. Or rather what’s left of it. Once touted as Calgary’s oldest such concern, it’s closed now and the grounds abandoned. We’ve only known it since the mid-1990s but one thing I’ve noticed since the beginning, it was never a terribly busy place and I am in fact quite surprised it lasted as long as it did. We were unimpressed when ever we visited it, but at the same time, felt the place had potential. Of course now that it’s closed, we are sad to see it gone.
Before we begin the tour, I wanted to make mention of the photos. We converted them to black in white, not because we want to appear edgy or artsy, but rather, simply, the day was dull and grey and overcast and the light was horribly flat and the colours dull and off. The pictures looked awful and for the most part unusable. Yuck, they were ugly. Converting them allowed them to be salvaged. So why not just return on a day with better light? We have so many projects on the go, it may be some time before we can come back and by then, the place may be gone. Shoot it now!
There is not a huge amount of information out there about the Blackfoot Farmer’s Market. Supposedly, it was established in 1976 (some reports say 1983). It’s not know if the location today is the same one from back then. No clue. Regardless, it’s a bit of a strange place to run a market perhaps, off the beaten path and in the centre of an industrial area. I believe this was a contributing factor to its demise. Few people know of it because of it was so out of the way. Of course, that also made it the most interesting (IMO) in some ways. Unlike the the yuppified, hipster markets elsewhere in town, which sold only artisan crafts and organic vegetables, this one was a bit raw and gritty. It was part farmer’s market, where you could buy a bag of carrots or a Hutterite raised chicken, and part junk store.
You could of course purchase produce and other foodstuffs at the market. There were also “antiques and collectibles” to be found – well the entrance sign said that. Sure there was the occasional treasure. Outside that was an assortment of flea market staples, old 8-track tapes, ratty stuffed animals, jig saw puzzles missing a few dozen pieces, Walmart quality press-board furniture minus one of two shelves that have been lost, an almost complete set of wrenches, an old mason jar full of an assorted of screws or buttons, an endless parade of “Where is Waldo” books. The usual assortment of bric-a-brac, chachkies and the like. You get the picture.
An outdoor market would not be complete without a few food vendors and this one was no different.
The venue was also home to petting zoo, populated by goats, donkeys, lambs and bunnies. On our visit, we saw a few of the latter wandering the grounds and perhaps these are escapees from that attraction. There was also a kid’s playground, now empty.
When operating, there used to be a live-in caretaker at the site.
I believe 2013 was the Blackfoot Market’s last year. It may been the year prior however, I can’t say. Connie and I would visit occasionally and frankly where underwhelmed by the place. It had a lot of potential, don’t get me wrong, and I was always rooting for it but instead of being a huge success it languished in obscurity. I mentioned the location being bad, for one. But there was also just not enough stuff of interest. For example, fruits and veggies – there would be say four or five vendors selling the exact same product. In respects to yummy stuff, there was no variety. It was promoted as a farmer’s market, but I can’t help think few, if any, of those vendors we saw grew what they sold. And for the flea market material – there was nothing but junk. Or at least that’s how it appeared to me.
Lastly, it never seems like the place was promoted. Maybe due to bad management? Hmm. Regardless, it was a prefect trifecta of failure. An ominous sign: every time we visited, there would be a new collection of vendors. High turnover means there is a problem.
While open there used to be an assortment of old farm tractors and the like scattered about the property but they are now gone.
Enough about what the place was. Let’s see what it is…
We pull up to the grounds and scan for around for any activity or signs of life. We’ll only enter if we can do so unmolested. It looks empty and forgotten and we can go in. Wandering around the front side, we pass a number of stalls large and small (mostly small), all empty of course. Some old signs remains – BC fruits – Watkins (every flea market has a Watkins vendor) – so and so’s crafts – and so on.
Going deeper into the Blackfoot Market complex, under somber and gloomy skies, we find some enclosed stalls. Many still had equipment or merchandise inside and it’s like the owners simply up and walked away. Vandals have not discovered this place yet (have I opened a can of worms?) and everything seems relativity intact. In one garage sized shed we find some old low end furniture, boxes and boxes of assorted books and magazines, crappy homemade works of art and paintings so horrible it’d be near impossible to describe them. They are “collectibles”, at least that’s what the sign said.
Working our way around back, we pass the petting zoo compound and the combination office and caretaker’s trailer. Peeking inside the latter, it’s clear a homeless person is living inside. Hmm, since he has made a home of the trailer, is he now no longer homeless? A non-homeless homeless person. A question for the ages, like does a tree falling in forest…ah, forget it. Beside the trailer is some biffy stalls and oddly, some showers. What the…?
Moving on, we find a gutted motorhome, some truck boxes, a hot tub and other flotsam and jetsam. Stuff of no value simply left behind for someone else to deal with. We find an old garage full of, well, even more junk. Move on.
While walking around, I felt sort of eerie. Not that we were worried about being cornered by a homeless person. In our experience they are rarely a problem – it’s just that it felt strange, mysterious, creepy. Not Ghost Hunters, malevolent demon spirits from the underworld creepy. Sort of lonely, forgotten, empty and deserted, like I’m the only one in the world (even if I’m in the big city), creepy.
I bet the land it sits on is being eyed up for redeveloped. In Calgary, at least right now, vacant land rarely stays so for long.
Strangely, the Blackfoot Farmers Market website now belongs to a web development company. Huh? Maybe it was hacked?
The Calgary farmer’s market scene in now down a player. There are still others though, the Calgary Farmer’s Market, the Crossroad Market and others. All are more upscale then the Blackfoot to one degree or another. Some far too trendy and upscale if you ask me.
Blackfoot, by the way, refers to a First Nations tribe from the area, so named for their dark coloured footwear.
If any readers of this blog has some Blackfoot Farmer’s Market stories or observations to share, by all means let us know. We’d all love to know more. Enjoy the photos…
To see some other abandoned places we’ve explored, go here…
The dome buildings and an ancient boxcar.
Abandoned coal mine cars.
Abandoned CPR Bow River bridge.
One to read…
Beachwood Estates.
If you’d like to know more about what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!
Date: April, 2014.
Location: Calgary, AB.
It was finally torn down last summer or fall. I always wanted to get in there with a model for a shoot, but it never came to be.
We went in just afterwards (article coming soon). What a different feel!
I had nooo idea this existed and I worked nearby for 3 years. I love places like this and I had no idea there was such a hidden gem in Calgary.
It always seemed to operate under the radar. Maybe the location? Maybe they didn’t advertise enough? Not sure. Was never busy any time we visited. In fact wandering it all abandoned was not all that different from doing the same when it operated.
It was sort of a weird location. I worked in that industrial area and never really explored it because it seemed like the warehouses went on forever. But I was also living with my parents at the time, so buying vegetables was not as exciting to me as it is now.
Agree, I think the location was a problem. A bit industrial, yes, and off any major routes. Isn’t buying veg at the farmer’s market fun? Now that you’re old enough to appreciate it that is. Thanks for commenting!
Now it is the heavy petting zoo!
Now! Now!
(via Facebook)
I took a bunch of colour shots there not too long ago. Now it’s all been scraped away and you’d never know it existed.
Haven’t been back since. I have this problem – I shoot a place and dread coming back because I know it’ll have changed for worse. Thanks for commenting!
(via Facebook)
Is there no end to the places you have seen? Thanks again for sharing with us!
We do get around. But there’s so much to see and explore, I doubt we’ll ever find ourselves with nothing to document.
I have a friend who was a vendor there and they all or most of them moved to Currie Barracks and then from there to the location just down from Heritage on Blackfoot. I think the one at the barracks was the most successful.
I recall going to the barracks one and it was always busy. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Always appreciate the background information and other historical facts. Thank you for another wonderful post.
You are most welcome. Drop by again – there’s always new content in the pipeline.
(via Facebook)
I remember me and a buddy going to the Blackfoot Market back in the 1990s. Was a fun place!
It was much better than, when compared to later years.
A very interesting read, Chris, including Jolene’s information. I have driven past this market for many years, every Wednesday, but had never actually been inside it. Just seemed sad to see it become more and more overgrown. A great set of photos of the whole area.
I saw it recently and it’s quite a bit more overgrown now.
I can give you a bit of insight into Blackfoot Farmer’s Market.
It opened in the 70’s and was the first in Calgary, the land actually belongs to the city and has been leased by someone all these years. It was a swamp and the guy who leased it had the city dump all the gravel and such in it until it was filled up and “land”. He then opened what was for years a very busy Farmer’s Market. I’m not sure exactly how many years it ran for, some of what I know about it is told to us by the son of the man who started it, some from others who have been associated with the Market over the years, but I did go there a lot over the years too. Probably about 2000 was the last time I went for quite a few years. But it was a very very busy Market, always packed with vendors and shoppers.
We came across it again in 20o2 unaware it had reopened and ended up starting our business there that Summer. Long story short(or not so) the owner got greedy and figured because the Market was so busy that the vendors should pay more, vendors didn’t agree and there was apparently a lot of fighting between the owner and vendors over money. When he basically pulled “I’ll show you” and jacked up the rent a huge amount a bunch of the vendors went off and started Calgary Farmers Market(later it was some from there who decided to go their own way and start Kingsland Farmer’s Market). Eventually he closed it because nobody wanted to rent space from him anymore so the land just sat with I believe occasionally the Hutterites setting up and a small garden centre. Fastforward to I believe about 2009 when the son of the owner convinced his Dad to let him try to get it going again(son very nice guy, not at all like the father), the son decided to make it a Swap Meet and Farmer’s Market. Problem was Dad wanted to “control” everything still and wouldn’t let the son spend the money that was going to be necessary to get it going properly again so it was a slow progression. Also because of the father’s previous greediness many people did not want anything to do with the Market, there were also rumours that when they would get new vendors that other Markets would come and “steal” them away. All in all though, Son had the potential to really do good with it, but Dad had the final say in everything and with that it was going to be a lost cause.
During the 2012 season a big windstorm came through and damaged a lot of stuff(I still have pictures of some of the damage…mostly the tents), this was actually the weekend before a car show that was going to happen. It got the Market some media attention and my husband, myself and our boys and a couple of other vendors came that week and helped the managers(son and his gf/fiance) and managed to get it ready for the car show weekend, which thanks to the media attention was a hit. The 2012 season ended with plans to re-open for 2013 and make it even better, but in April of 2013 vendors were sent notice that the Market would not re-open(“Dad” was retiring).
The son had a garage there where he worked on cars, it looks like that might be some of the junk that is left around there. A little disappointing so much has been left behind, but with intentions of re-opening I’m sure some stuff left behind in storage was forgotten about over the Winter. Most of the animals were sold at the end of the last season and I believe some were on loan and given back. That is quite possibly one of the leftover bunnies, there was a black one that was quite the escape artist, my kids were always helping trying to get the little bugger, that’s probably it. What you refer to as “shower stalls” is actually where the bathrooms were, each nook had porta-potties in them and then in the middle nooks were the sinks. The food vendors there were fantastic, I’m not sure what has happened to all of them, but I know The Spicy Jamaican and his amazing food is at Symon’s Valley Ranch and doing great!
Anyway, there’s a little bit about what was once Blackfoot Farmer’s Market. I’m very sad to see it looking like that. It was what gave us the push to start our business(that has since grown into a retail store in Claresholm) after years of “thinking about it”…..at $25 for a weekend for a good sized space busy or not it was busy enough to make it worthwhile. My kids spent every weekend that Summer running around the property, just before they entered the teenage years it was a nice way to spend their last Summer as a “kid” LOL.
Wow, what a great story, sad too. I am so glad you came away okay. Good luck and thanks for sharing.
My folks would shop at the market all the time when I was a teenager. Sad to see it looking so abandoned.
Abandoned sites always have a air of sadness about them, this one more so.
I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT VIBE YOU’RE DESCRIBING IS LIKE. I HAVE EXPLORED MANY OLD BUILDING AND HAVE FELT IT. MY WIFE AND I ENJOY YOUR BLOG.
It’s sort of an odd tingle or something.
My name is Gerald Smith and for a time I had a booth at the market, selling our farm grown vegetables. I can tell you with all certainty that bad management was a large part of market’s downfall. You are right though, the poor location did not help. We were there for one summer and did not renew.
As a outsider looking in, it always seemed the place was doomed to failure. I am just amazed it took so long.
That hand is spooky! And so’s that Pooh Bear!
There were a bit eerie.
I took some photos there on June 1st last year, just shortly after it closed, there was a little more at that time, just freshly abandoned…
Thanks, that helps clear up some of the mystery. June, isn’t that when it opens for the season? So I guess that means it opened and then almost immediately closed? Odd.