After almost half a century of creating memories, a popular farmers' market in Ontario has announced it's permanently closed.

"COVID-19 has taken its toll on so many small businesses and we were no exception to its cruel effects," The Pickering Markets' Family wrote in an announcement dated Dec. 26.

"We feel for every single business that has or is currently going through these tough decisions. For us this was not a decision that came lightly."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Pickering Markets (@pickeringmarkets)

The flea market about a half hour drive from Toronto was known as a destination for a range of cuisines as well as antiques and a variety of other items like incense, bags and even swords.

The Instagram post announcing the closure has garnered thousands of likes and over 500 comments from people expressing their devastation at the news, recounting their memories of everything from tacos to Pokemon cards, and of course, pointing fingers at the government blaming them for the circumstances.

Many are commenting that the City of Pickering could have done more to help the market, saying they were denied the ability to enact crucial measures such as an outdoor market to stay afloat. Others are commenting looking for a way to help out, or at least continue supporting the vendors.

The last post on Instagram from the market before the closure announcement was to say they'd be closing for the lockdown when it started on Dec. 26. Previous to that customers had been allowed inside with safety precautions including mandatory masks, and the market even hosted events like meeting Santa.