As with most events in the time of the novel coronavirus, the Breckenridge Sunday Market has had to adapt, making changes on location, market size and customer protocol.
The market, which used to be located at Main Street Station, has moved to the Village at Breckenridge resort plaza, allowing for the Main Street shops and restaurants to use the outdoor space for extra seating. Because of the new location, business has been relatively slow in the market’s first few weeks, Kristi Rashidi, owner of Rocky Mountain events, said. However, the number of visitors was starting to pick up Sunday morning, July 12.
“The village plaza is a little easier to control the traffic flow and maintain a constant live count of the number of people in the market, which is what we have to do to adhere to the guidelines from the health department,” Rashidi said.
The new location isn’t the only change. The market, which opened on June 28, had to cut its vendors down from 40 to 20 and increase the number of food and produce vendors because of public health restrictions.
“Things are definitely different this year, but we felt compelled to continue the tradition of the market and not be broken by COVID-19,” Rashidi said.
The market is doing everything it can to prevent the spread of the virus. Market employees have put down painter’s tape in the shape of arrows to direct the flow of traffic and everyone is required to wear a face covering or mask. The market also has an employee offering hand sanitizer to all customers as they enter.
“After everything that everyone had been through we felt strongly about giving the opportunity to the community for people to come,” Rashidi said. “We didn’t want to give up. We wanted to fight to do what we have to do to keep the market going.”
The market is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday.
