Canaan
Just a few steps from the Canaan Village common, the indoor market would provide a cafe space, a place to buy local produce and display art for sale. It would be open year-round for either six or seven days a week, according to the town’s website.
Although the Selectboard has signed off on the idea, the project is still seeking grant funding and additional vendors. There also has been some opposition from existing merchants.
A market meets several community needs being discussed by different groups, Canaan Town Administrator Mike Samson said on Tuesday. The town wants to see more foot traffic in the village. There have also been calls from for a local coffee shop. At the same time, the farmers market has been looking for ways to extend into the winter.
“In an ideal world, (the market) has a minimum of two major participants,” Samson said. “One is a cafe and the other is a farmers market.”
Adding artisan vendors would create an environment where people can shop, eat and grab a coffee in one stop.
“It’s a venue that cross fertilizes the marketplace,” Samson said. “It gives multiple reasons to go into a single location.”
The market would be reliant on vendors, who are expected to form a cooperative responsible for managing the space, buying needed equipment and offering support to one another, according to a draft business plan. Commercial grade kitchen equipment is also needed for both farmers and a local cafe, who would also sell pastries and desserts.
Samson said the market intends to rent space at 1192 U.S. Route 4, which used to house the Mascoma Valley Health Initiative. Although the building’s vacant stores are split into three offices, the market hopes to renovate the roughly 1,500-square-foot space so people can move freely between the units.
Dale Barney, who operates the nearby Barney Insurance Agency, said he was approached by market advocates after purchasing the building in March. He declined to say how much rent costs, but said he’s happy about new economic development in the village.
“We’re for it, whether we’re the landlord or not,” he said.
Initially, people were worried about whether a community market could survive in Canaan, Samson said. So proponents and the town polled residents using a Google survey, and received 63 responses.
Nearly all said they would use the market, and 62 percent said they’d spend between $25 and $100 in a single trip. About half said they would use the market once a week, and a third would go more often.
People have been looking for ways to shop locally in the Mascoma Valley for years. Many make the trip to large supermarkets in Lebanon or Plymouth, N.H., while others choose to purchase goods from general stores, such as Papa Z’s in Canaan or Proctor’s General Store in Enfield.
“The market’s going to hurt us, especially since it’s being funded with grant money,” said David Zani, who owns Papa Z’s.
Along with grant funding, the community market would also be funded with a $6,000 subsidy from the town, according to Samson.
As a taxpayer, Zani said it seems unfair the town would in turn offer to fund a competing venture. His market has expanded in past years to include a large frozen food section and offer local produce, honey and maple syrup.
“I think it’s kind of a slap in the face for what I’ve done in the store,” Zani said, adding that he currently employs about 15 people who could be negatively impacted if his store saw a downturn.
A report published at the end of last year found that residents of the Mascoma Valley’s five towns spend more than $20 million on groceries outside the region and away from general stores. At the time, consultants with the Better Future Alliance recommended a small grocery store could be viable either on Route 4 in Enfield or in Canaan Village, close to elderly residents, parks and the town center.
“I think it’s fantastic,” said Scott Osgood, Enfield’s town planner. He’s been working with a committee of area residents to attract a grocery store to the region.
Osgood said transportation is one of the biggest problems his group is facing. It’s difficult finding ways to connect the five towns, he said, but Canaan Village has the ability to attract drivers on Route 4.
“I would love to see this really succeed,” Osgood said, adding it could jump start efforts in other communities.
Samson said about 26 vendors have signed onto the market. It needs about 30 to open and another five to become viable, he estimates.
Right now, he’s working to find grant funding to purchase kitchen equipment and someone to operate the cafe locally.
“The cafe operator is critical to the plan,” he said. That person or company will not only serve food and drinks, but they’ll also provide manpower to operate the cashier.
Samson said he hopes to gain funding this week. Renovation of the space will then take about 30 days and the market could open this fall.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.