By Ethan Clarke

Mutual Market transforms Gould Street with student vendors, warm food and a sense of community, offering a break from the usual campus rush once a week.

The student-led non-profit market has become a quiet but familiar presence at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Lead organizer Serge Khvatov, a fifth-year history major, joined the team in 2022 and has helped shape its direction. “To me, the goal is… to run an institution based on values of care,” they said. “We have a very good reputation because…we care, and we try to build a genuine, wholesome community.”

Khvatov and the team coordinate each market, booking space through the school, scheduling vendors and running a free soup program to help students stretch their budgets. “Last market…we served about 90…soup bowls,” they said. For them, food isn’t just a hook, it’s part of building community and easing costs.

For some vendors, the setup itself is simple. It’s getting everything to campus that’s the hard part. Khatija Naz, a second-year Business Technology Management student and Khvatov both pointed out how difficult commuting with supplies can be.

“It’s very easy to set up,” said Naz, owner of KhatBakes. “But commuting is quite hard, especially when you have a lot of materials. I have to bring a suitcase along with big bags to carry my cookies.”

Khvatov knows the struggle well. “The long-term goal is to start some kind of permanent space on campus that is a thrift store, nonprofit thrift store and a food co-op,” they said. “Even if we get a room, eight vendors could store their stuff there. People are hauling suitcases from Milton, Scarborough, Vaughan…on public transport. It’s not easy.”

For students, price often comes before anything else.

“I was on my way to class…and saw that they were selling samosas,” said Zarrin Tarannum, fourth-year child and youth care student who decided to check out the market on her way to class. “They are cheaper compared to other places…so it’s a great option.”

That affordability is intentional, “I want to keep that affordable aspect of the market,” Khvatov said. “We have the lowest…vendor fees in the city.”

Vendors typically pay $20, but it’s voluntary. If they don’t make enough, they don’t pay. It’s a model meant to support small student businesses, not burden them.

When Thalia Ramcharitar, a fourth-year English major, first joined the market, what stood out wasn’t just the sales, but how quickly she felt part of a community.

“It just opened its arms up to me…everybody there…they’re so welcoming,” she said. “If I forgot tape, somebody’s like, no problem, I got you.”

Ramcharitar says the market has become a place where students can take a first step with confidence. “This is a safe space for you…we want to give people that first opportunity,” she said.

While the market has built a small online following, most of the buzz is still word of mouth. “We started posting more on Instagram,” Ramcharitar said. “But honestly, it’s people telling other people.”

Naz’s table is often one of the busiest. “Biscoff Bliss…and S’mores. Everybody loves those two 100 per cent,” she said. Naz said the market has helped her reach more students. “My sales…did go really well on Gould Street,” she added. “As long as I gain followers and the audience, I think it’s 100 per cent worth it.”

Markets can be unpredictable. “People do make money…it just really depends…on the day,” Khvatov said. Even so, the market’s reputation has grown. “We’ve been going for over three years now. People talk about it,” they said.

Ramcharitar described the market as more than just a pop-up.“You’re supporting somebody who has a dream like yours…once one person succeeds, we all kind of succeed,” she said. “It’s a collective, it’s a community.”

Khvatov hopes to make that feeling tangible, a permanent space, a co-op, a student-run fixture that gives people a way to build something of their own.

For now, the market lives in those passing moments, students browsing tables, grabbing a bite or stopping to talk with vendors.

The next market is scheduled for Oct. 29 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Gould Street. Students interested in vending can find more information through the market’s Instagram page @mutual.market.