WORCESTER, Mass. — The Worcester Public Market celebrated its second anniversary Sunday afternoon.

The collection of small businesses in Worcester's Kelley Square was offering one-day sales, discounts, giveaways and raffles to mark the occasion.

The market opened up a little over a month before COVID-19 restrictions started taking place in the city. It features nearly three dozen restaurants and specialty shops, including Canal District Wines.

The market's founder, Allen Fletcher, said it has been a wild two years, but is proud of the venue.

"From my perspective, it adds something completely unique to Worcester; completely unprecedented, and people love it," Fletcher said. "People come here to have a good time, and they do. I think it's a fabulous venue, and it'll only get better as COVID leaves us."

"It's awesome to see how many Worcester people come out, walk around," added Brittany Kurowski, the general manager of Canal District Wines. "Worcester people are so in love with the city, and this is another great aspect of why Worcester is so great."

"This area, I feel like, has been really revitalized in the past couple years, and I think the Public Market is just growing everyday, and will be growing exponentially in the next couple of years, because people are excited about being able to walk and shop local," Kurowski said.

Fletcher said an oyster bar that will seat roughly 30 people is scheduled to open at the market in the very near future.