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    Island Roots Market

    5.0 (1 review)
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    6 years ago

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    The Old Farm Market

    The Old Farm Market

    4.1
    (13 reviews)
    53.6 km
    $$

    This is a decent place to stop for veggies, & prepared items. As it is a bit of a speciality store…read moremixed with local farm items & items from other locations. If you're like me with variable mobility days, this store is the perfect size to get in, shop & still leave before your too broken from a grocery trip in the winter. The vegetables & fruit are in the open but covered area & the rest, from speciality sweets, local products (I really enjoy grabbing That's My Jam & Hardy Honey) to a little deli of prepared items & meat choices. With a smaller store means there's limited options if you're shopping later at night. So do keep that in mind as well as that there is a bit higher cost to shopping here. I do that trade off with where my mobility days are in winter & distance to drive to the other grocery stores. There looks to be an enclosed seating area beside the deli (but I'm never there early enough to see if that's for customers or only staff), a pizza place just outside the market, beside (but associated with the market) is the cafe with delicious ice cream & doughnuts. And on the side of the cafe, a thrifting shop & outdoor area to sit. both buildings are friendly for all mobility aids entering but inside both places, I wouldn't want to navigate with a walker or wheelchair if it was busy. These places are smaller, so layout is tight. Cane users, just be aware you might need to side shuffle on the busier days & times. There always seems to be plenty of parking in the narrow but long parking lot. I also noticed people do park along the side road too. I can't say I ever see n handicap parking stalls closer to the market itself but there's clear ones by the cafe. Access off the main highway is quick & if you're on the outskirts of Duncan, this would be your first grocery option going into the city. If you're into randomly fun photo opps, there's some neat vintage tractors outside and the market is decorated with all sorts of things. Just be watchful of the traffic as the place is quite busy in the daytime. Last note. But for us disabled folks, a good heads up. I don't know if I randomly walk in the wrong doors or they really hide the baskets well, but never seem to notice where the baskets are placed. That fact itself doesn't bother me as I prefer to shop with my cloth bags being that it's easier for me to carry /I bump less things or people while using my cane & shuffling around. Plus, I avoid triggering my back pain pushing a random cart in a smaller space that often can be crowded. However, instead of ever being offered a basket to use or any help shopping, I have found myself to be subject of some very obvious watching. The last shopping experience (in fall 2025) was so beyond obvious that it reached the point being clearly cut off by staff while I'm trying to reach & look for items. Instead of ever just being asked to switch to a basket while shopping (this particular staff member seemed to have a lot of time on their hands & could of brought me one if they truly just wanted to keep an eye on what I was shopping for), I eventually was given really poor attempt of an apology at the till as I was packing up my paid items (apparently "there's a guy" that comes in randomly with the same bag that tries to shoplift & yet I had 2 bags, interacted with the few other staff & was thoughtfully choosing items from my list while moving at my very limpy pace...). Truthfully, I haven't been back since as it left a bad taste in my mouth. It's not the first time I'm profiled wrongly as a disabled person (my cane is my aid for over 6 years) but this was probably the worst level of assumption (& actions by what I think was even the manager the way he was talking). However, I have to say the regular market staff are always kind & helpful for any questions I have. Most offer to help me with searching for items if I'm standing too long in one spot (which I sometimes do for pain management reasons or to make sure my balance is ok before bending for something). Sometimes staff even get really excited about a product I'm looking at buying. The quality of premade items ranges from good to very tasty. I like there's an assortment of local, Canadian & international items. The market has a few short rows of random goods & treats in the far corner with international highlighted which is always fun to browse. They even support a lot of local initiatives, including selling the cookies from group of disabled bakers. Which comes full circle to how I'm confused to rate this place. So I'll leave it at 4 stars & I'm sure later on during my Island wintering time I'll revisit this market & add to my review.

    The diving cow beef dip is AMAZING and a fantastic price! I LOVED it. 10/10 recommend. Would love…read moreto come back but was just visiting. Employees were super kind and store had a great vibe.

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    Diving cow beef dip

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    Diving cow beef dip
    Duncan Farmers' Market

    Duncan Farmers' Market

    5.0
    (3 reviews)
    50.9 km

    It is always worth a wander in downtown Duncan for the Farmers' Market. As even in the winter…read moremonths, there's a considerable amount of vendors outside ranging from baked goods to handmade items. My more recent stop during the long weekend was with my friend & we enjoyed lunch (she grabbed a smokie & I grabbed an empanada) at one of the benches throughout the market area between our random shopping adventure. If you can't find a bench right in the market area, continue down the street (that isn't closed off to traffic with booths) & you'll find an urban park with cement & wooden benches. It seemed like there was a lot of families stopping there to enjoy their fresh finds & quick snacks. By the time I walked out of the market, I had found honey, frozen empanadas, coffee beans, bread, saskatoon scones & cinnamon buns. I also chatted with the vendor that makes corded flint items & a few other vendors. My friend had her shopping bag equally filled up with various goodness to enjoy during the week. As the sun was out, the market was hopping at noon with families, couples, & friends gathering, plus dog walkers. It definitely feels like the community supports the market very well here & I am always impressed to see so many devoted farmers' market shoppers out when it's raining. One challenge with the farmers' market is finding parking close by. If you're lucky you can grab a spot along the tracks. otherwise you have to search for street parking (some of it is paid parking too) or go all the way to the edge of downtown where there's a bigger lot (not sure if that's also 2 hr free parking like along the tracks). I'm looking forward to further wanders through the market as more vendors return for Spring.

    We were in town from Texas and loved walking around this market on a Saturday afternoon. Good food,…read moreproduce, jerky etc. Wish we lived here!

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    Duncan Farmers' Market
    Duncan Farmers' Market
    Duncan Farmers' Market

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    Great Greens Farm Market

    Great Greens Farm Market

    5.0
    (1 review)
    58.1 km

    We stopped at this great little market for the first time after driving past many times on the way…read moreup island without checking it out. We had an excellent soup and sandwich at the cafe, which has seating right in the market! After eating we did a bit of shopping and were very glad we did. We found several nice local products that we had never seen before, bought a couple interesting and delicious salads from the deli to take home, and the friendly young man working the deli counter introduced us to a wonderful prosciutto-like ham from Austria which he said was his favorite. This kind of friendly, personal service you will never get in a large grocery store! We are very glad we stopped in, and can't wait until our next visit when we will purchase some lovely AAA Canadian beef steaks from the attractive meat case(and probably some local pork sausage as well). Highly recommended!!!!

    From the owner: Great Greens Farm Market is a locally owned & operated, family run business nestled in the Cowichan…read moreValley. We are a full service, specialty grocery store that offers farm fresh, local produce along with dairy, in-house baked goods, specialty breads, grocery items, deli, meat, frozen foods, bulk foods, health & vitamins, gift items, floral bouquets and grab 'n' go foods if you need a healthy, quick lunch or dinner options. We have many Organic, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Non-GMO, Vegetarian and Vegan options as well!

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    Store logo
    Store logo
    Entranceway

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    Entranceway

    Island Roots Market - farmersmarket - Updated July 2026

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