WORCESTER - Allen W. Fletcher said he wasn't so much burdened by expectations as he was consumed by fear in the days and weeks and months leading up to the grand opening Thursday night of the Worcester Public Market at Kelley Square.

"I was afraid nobody would come," Fletcher said.

As throngs flowed through the brand-new market, Fletcher, a Canal District pioneer of sorts who lives in the former Ash Street School, bounced from one group to another with a drink in hand, greeting people and shaking a lot of hands. He said he was overjoyed and relieved that his dream had finally become reality.

"It feels fantastic," he said.

Even on a raw, icy February night, a line formed around the block leading up to the 5 p.m. opening, as vendors darted from display stands to counters to registers, making last-minute checks and getting ready to do business. Everything from a taqueria to an apiary to craft and clothing vendors lined the spacious market; Wachusett Brewing Co.'s corner quickly filled up. The market has space for about 23 vendors.

The $21 million, 20,000-square-foot European-style multi-vendor marketplace occupies the ground level of the new building; the upper floors are apartments. The market is being developed by Canal District Partners, which includes Fletcher and Raymond Quinlan.

"We're used to being here when it's empty," said Allie Catlin, who along with her sister-in-law, Leah Catlin, operates Smith's Country Cheese. "It has been just painters and construction for so long, it's nice to finally have our product here, and to have people here. It's wonderful."

Catlin, working the counter with her sister-in-law and employee Rachelle Wailes, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute student, said it was important for the Winchendon dairy farm to find an outlet in a more centralized, up-and-coming area.

Craig Thomas and his fiance originally moved to Worcester with the idea that it would be a stopping point on the way to somewhere else; they figured it was a good midpoint between jobs they had in Springfield and Boston. But Thomas said they quickly realized things were starting to happen here, and they soon found they had everything they needed in the city. As he waited for his fiance to arrive Thursday, Thomas, an engineer, said he was checking out the food offerings, and was happy Wachusett, the Westminster-based brewer, was setting up an outpost at the market.

City and state officials mingled in the crowd; several of them offered similar sentiments about how state and local partnerships helped the project get done. And there were several nods to the tight-knit network of business owners who had a particular vision for how the neighborhood should evolve.

Mayor Joseph M. Petty said projects like the Worcester Public Market make the city a destination. People will come here to the market and explore other parts of the city, he said. City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said Fletcher and other Canal District business owners have sold the city on their vision, and with tax relief and infrastructure improvements, the city has tried to play a supporting role.

Fletcher teared up as he took the stage in the courtyard of the market Thursday night. He thanked his partners and said the city was "unbelievably helpful and cooperative" in navigating a project with unique challenges. He said he felt like he was following in the footsteps of others who have invested in the Canal District, such as Dino Lorusso, who turned an old mill building next door into Crompton Place.

But he said a project like this only comes alive with the individual energies of the different vendors who make up the market. Fletcher said it's a thrill to see it come to fruition with such diverse offerings. The market's regular posted hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

"Thank you all for coming, this is a great day," Fletcher said. "Keep coming."