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market-farming - starting farmers' markets

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Elizabeth Pike" <pike AT always-online.com>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: starting farmers' markets
  • Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 21:55:04 -0500

I have some questions to ask for those of you connected with farmer's markets. 
 
Our little market is located downtown, in the historic district-more tourists than residents (you cook when you go on vacation don't you ;^/ ??)   I drove back down there today to do some thinking.  
 
Have any of you started your own farmer's market, or manage/managed one? 
 
Are any of you connected with private farmer's markets, and is there such a thing?
 
I have access to several commercial properties on which to start a new market.  The locations are close to the major shopping area (yes, we only have one!), which pulls from 4 counties.  They're close to several, major, affluent neighborhoods.   The city supports the one downtown, just barely, just so they can appease the other businesses, and say see?  We're trying to build traffic downtown.  A major blow to the area came this past fall when a $125 million bridge project opened, deflecting all incoming traffic into the downtown-no impulse shoppers now.  I don't know to what extent it will affect the fm, but it must affect it. 
 
From a consumer's viewpoint (mom with kids), a new location, where I'd like to put one, would entice me to shop at a fm.  Convenience is the name of the game these days & I feel we farmers at this particular fm are missing out on alot of sales/potential customers.  The city-run fm has rules that tie the hands of the farmers (not allowing farm animals to visit occasionally-I'd love to take a couple of my silkies for the kids to see!), and do not have rules that would help us (they allow resellers & far too many crafters, & people who sell socks-go figure!!!).   It also has alot of problems with keeping market managers-lots of favoritism & cat-fights among the women vendors-I hate this!  (Makes me want to get my farmstand built & CSA going, but can't do it this soon.) 
 
I don't want to run a market-I'm a farmer.  But then I need the market to stay a farmer!  
 
Very frustrated,
 
Liz Pike
Morningstar Gardens
Pollocksville, North Carolina
 



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