It's now easier to get delivery from St. Lawrence Market in Toronto

St. Lawrence Market delivery just got a bit easier thanks to a new initiative that bundles together vendors on one website.

Shop Local Markets was created by two women from Toronto — one of their families runs a store in St. Lawrence Market. The idea behind the "mix and match" delivery service was to recreate the feeling of wandering through the market and being able to grab items from different stalls.

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We’re excited to introduce DELIVERY for the St. Lawrence Market!🎉⁣ ⁣ You can now mix and match products from your favourite vendors including St. Urbain Bagel Bakery, Scheffler's Delicatessen & Cheese and UCanada. 🍎🧀🍞 The St. Lawrence Market has been a key part of Toronto for over 200 years and was ranked the best food market in the world by National Geographic.⁣ ⁣ Each purchase helps support family-run businesses that are struggling during this time. ❤️⁣ ⁣ HOW IT WORKS:⁣ 1️⃣ Place your order online at www.shoplocalmarkets.ca⁣ 2️⃣ Local St. Lawrence Market vendors package your orders⁣ 3️⃣ Contactless delivery to your door. Enjoy your fresh and locally sourced produce! Thank you to @eyau.studio for the amazing logo - we love it!! #food #farmersmarket #shoplocal #shoplocalcanada #supportsmallbusiness #toronto #yyz #stlawrencemarket #groceryshopping #food #foodie #foodstagram

A post shared by St Lawrence Market, delivered (@shoplocalmarkets) on May 26, 2020 at 10:52am PDT

"We want to bring back the magic of shopping at the Market. The variety is one of the big draws," says Natalie, one of the creators of Shop Local Markets. "For example, if I'm going in-person, I might pick out some bagels, cheese, and vegetables from a range of vendors. We're bringing that experience online."

The online portal has options to shop for sauces, spices, deli products, cheese, pasta, bagels and produce from about half a dozen family-run St. Lawrence vendors right now, including St. Urbain Bagels, Scheffler's Deli and Ponesse Foods.

It's been a particularly challenging time for family-run stalls as they've seen a decline in foot traffic but still have to cover expenses like rent and insurance.

"I've decided to close my store to keep my employees and the community safe," says Grace, Amy's mother and the owner of Giftworks at the market. "This has been a very challenging time so I'm excited that there is a new way for me to reach my customers."

"The St. Lawrence Market is a key part of the fabric of Toronto and has been for more than 200 years," says Amy Wang, one of the online market's creators whose family also runs a St. Lawrence stall. "We want to maintain this tradition by bringing the market directly to individuals' homes during this time."

She says they've received lots of supportive messages from shoppers and vendors alike, and that there are plans to take on more vendors.

"My parents run Giftworks, a souvenir store in the lower market. They decided to close the store during this time, which has been really challenging because it means that they have no sales," says Wang. 

"They are hoping that this initiative can help supplement some of the lost sales that occurred due to the store closing. They make the same margins on these sales so they recognize that the initiative is a big win for their business."

"A lot of customers are very loyal to the St. Lawrence Market and have long standing relationships with the vendors," says Nupur Gogia of Raani Foods, also part of Shop Local Markets. "This service can help customers maintain those relationships and purchase the same quality of food during this time."

by Amy Carlberg via blogTO