Councillor plans to resurrect Yellowknife city market
Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 20/01) - An 'artists' street' is what Yellowknife needs to boost its fledgling tourism economy, says a city councillor.
Coun. Dave McCann is planning to resurrect the idea of a city market at a committee meeting sometime this month in hopes it will eventually evolve into a daily, summer long "artists street" resembling "Rue du Tresors" in Quebec City.
"What I see in tourism is the bright hope beyond diamonds," McCann says.
"It can be an economic focal point for the city."
McCann says most major Canadian centres have teeming city markets which are destination points for tourist.
"We sell a lot of high-end art but there is another niche."
He says Yellowknife trinket shops sell souvenirs made in the south which constantly scooped up by southern tourist looking for, as what he calls it, "a gift for grandma in Kelowna."
"Artists could spend the winter mass producing prints (or other products) and sell them in the summer."
A market in the city is not a new idea.
One shut down in 1995 because it "was financially challenging," says Matthew Grogono, one of three people who managed it.
"It was very popular," he says, adding, "It was an eclectic situation where you'd find everything from toasters to world class art."
"But the magnitude was too big for our partnership."
The old market sat across from the Igloo Inn in an empty lot beside Fritz Theil Park.
Grogono hopes the territorial and municipal governments will provide some assistance if a new market gets off the ground.
McCann says the city can play a role in providing a site for the market. He mentioned Bartam trailer park as an option.
"This kind of thing is a winner," he says.
