The Saint John City Market is observing its 150th anniversary in 2026, and two local history enthusiasts have turned to the provincial archives to tell the building’s story through a new display available online and at the market itself.
From wholesale hub to community marketplace
Connor DeMerchant and Michael Forrestell compiled photographs and documents that chart the market’s evolution since it opened in 1876. Their project, titled Making the Market, presents images of vendors, storefronts and long-standing businesses that shaped the site’s identity over the decades.
The market originally served largely wholesale customers: institutions such as school cafeterias, orphanages, hotels and restaurants sourced bulk supplies there, as did grocers who bought produce in large quantities. Over time, the role of the market shifted toward retail for local shoppers, reflecting wider changes in urban commerce and food distribution.
Long-running businesses and personal ties
One company featured in the exhibit is Slocum & Ferris, founded in 1895 by Loyalists George W. Slocum and John D. Ferris. That business, which changed hands several times, remained at the market until 2024. Forrestell has a personal connection: his parents owned Slocum & Ferris for more than three decades, and he says he spent much of his youth in the market.
“I really grew up here,” Forrestell told CBC during a tour of the exhibit.
The display incorporates both the market’s commercial history and snapshots of daily life inside the building, including less picturesque episodes. DeMerchant and Forrestell point to eras when the market’s condition deteriorated, particularly by the 1930s, offering a candid account of the structure’s ups and downs.
Exhibit and public access
Making the Market has been made available for public viewing at the market and online. The curators consulted holdings at the New Brunswick provincial archives to assemble photographs, documents and other historical material that illustrate how the market adapted over a century and a half.
- Exhibit title: Making the Market
- Primary sources: provincial archives photographs and documents
- Public access: on-site at Saint John City Market and online
The display offers residents and visitors a concentrated look at the market’s past, from its role in supplying the city to the personal stories of vendors and families who worked there for generations.
Timeline of notable moments
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1876 | Market opens |
| 1895 | Slocum & Ferris established at the market |
| 1930s | Period of decline and disrepair noted |
| 1980s | Market designated a national historic site (noted in archival context) |
| 2024 | Slocum & Ferris closes after long run |
| 2026 | 150th-anniversary exhibition: Making the Market |
The project supplements the market’s existing interpretation and programming by drawing attention to both institutional uses of the space and more intimate recollections. It also highlights how vendors and customers built relationships around the exchange of food and goods.
Why the market matters to Saint John
The Saint John City Market is one of the city’s most recognizable physical and cultural landmarks. Over generations it has connected producers, merchants and households and has reflected broader shifts in commerce, urban planning and community life. The 150th anniversary and accompanying exhibit are an opportunity for residents to reflect on those changes and to preserve memories that might otherwise be lost.
Visitors interested in seeing the display can view it in person at the market or consult the online materials assembled by the curators. The exhibit draws directly on archival holdings and local knowledge, placing the market’s story in the context of Saint John’s long commercial history without romanticizing every chapter.
As the market marks this milestone year, the retrospective underscores both continuity — businesses and families connected to the site for decades — and change, as the market has adapted to new economic realities and community needs.
