Bensidoun USA will be opening the Wheaton French Market season on Saturday, April 10 at a new temporary location of Reber Street and Liberty Drive near the Courthouse Square and the City’s Public Works facility. The market will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday through Nov. 27 with the first hour of the market between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. being reserved for the unvaccinated at-risk population that includes seniors and those with underlying health conditions.
The market has moved to this temporary new location due to the on-going construction from the final phase of the City’s Downtown Streetscape project. The City asks visitors to be aware of potential construction detours and plan accordingly when traveling to the Downtown area.
The market will open with many of the previous year’s Covid-19 precautions in place to protect the health of shoppers and vendors. Precautions include social distancing requirements and directional pathways throughout the market. In addition, all attendees and participants must wear face masks while within the boundaries of the market.
Both vendors and shoppers will need to continue to follow the specific health and safety measures developed in accordance with the Governor’s current Executive Order, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the DuPage County Health Department:
- Stay at home if you are sick.
- Face covering or mask is required.
- When possible, send just one family member/person to market. Limit family groups.
- 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. is reserved for the unvaccinated at-risk population (seniors age 65+ and those with underlying health conditions). Anyone within the at-risk population should visit between these times or stay home.
- No dogs or animals will be allowed unless they are service animals.
- Pre-ordering of food items if vendors offer services is encouraged. The Virtual French Market on Bensidoun’s website has more than 100 vendors providing items that can be pre-ordered.
- There will be one entrance and one exit to the market on Main Street. The market will operate in a one-way direction marked by arrows on the ground.
- Maintain at least an arm’s length distance between other shoppers and vendors.
- Avoid hand-to-hand contact between vendors and other shoppers.
- Quickly move through the market, pick up items, and depart.
- Pay with credit or debit when possible. If you must pay with cash, please note that vendors may not be able to give change in an effort to lessen contact.
- No consumption of food will be allowed on site.
- No seating will be offered.
The market is provided as a venue to obtain fresh foods directly from vendors, and the types of items being sold will be limited to produce, plants, flowers, bakery items and specialty foods that are shelf stable. No open sampling will be permitted, and any samples given must be pre-packaged.
The Wheaton French Market Covid-19 guidelines for shoppers and vendors may be revised throughout the season based on the region’s progress through the stages to fully reopen. All questions should be directed to the French Market organizer, Bensidoun USA, at bensidounmarkets@gmail.com.
If you are interested in being a vendor at the Wheaton French Market, please visit https://bensidounusa.com/be-a-vendor/ for more information.