Some of your favourite local shops got their start at the downtown Windsor farmers' market. Here's how

When restaurateur Sandra Joseph first began her business, she was running out of a ghost kitchen to fill catering orders. 

It was a huge change for Joseph, who used to own a restaurant in Kuwait. But immigrating to Windsor, Ont., in 2006 meant she had to start from scratch to secure a place and build a clientele. 

About nine years ago, she became a vendor at the Downtown Windsor Farmers' Market — a Saturday street sale that closes Pelissier Street from Wyandotte Street West to Park Street West between May and early December. Now she owns a brick and mortar version of her restaurant, Rasoi, in Tecumseh. 

The market, she says, is what allowed her business to take off. And she's not the only one giving it credit for her success. 

In the last decade, an estimated 25 businesses went from the farmers' market to the big leagues, securing storefronts within the city or neighbouring county. These include Carrots and Dates and Anchor Coffee in Windsor, Christine's Bake Shop in Leamington and Walkerville Candles in Essex. It's been a hidden economic generator for Windsor-Essex and helped create a sense of community among small business owners.  

Rasoi means "my kitchen," according to Joseph, who says the idea is that people are eating her very own homemade meals. Joseph says her food is a fusion of middle eastern and Indian cuisine — something she's done by creating her own spices. 

Though it's been nearly one year since she got the shop, Joseph says she still can't believe it's real.