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  • From: mckemie AT inetport.com
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: peddlers
  • Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 08:53:25 -0600


On Sat, Feb 10, 2001 at 08:10:56AM -0500, Boulder Belt Organics wrote:
>
>
> Here is my story of peddlers at one of our markets.
> This market is 27 years old and has written on the rules that no
> reselling is allowed. The market manager (who is unpaid) started the
> market almost 3 decades ago and over the years has become less involved.
> We have been selling there as the lone organic farmers for 7 years and
> have yet to have one vendors meeting. the manager when i ask him about
> meetings says they are unimportant. When I ask him about vendors
> breaking the sell what you grow rule he just says that it's the free
> market ruling the FM and besides it adds a greater variety. he did
> suspend one peddler for a week for selling bananas and oranges (which he
> claimed were Indiana grown)

Thanks for your story!

In my view, a good market is operated by an association of the sellers
at the market. The association then appoints the market management.
The association may then easily correct poor management. In this type
of organization, it is important both to have sellers that are willing
to actively participate in the association and to keep the membership
purged of peddlers. Both are challenging tasks. A looming and
recognized peddler threat does wonders for association participation.
Sadly, in many cases, the peddler threat goes un-recognized until it is
too late.

An alternative is a market run by a "benevolent dictator". As with
other dictators, you may find a truly benevolent and knowledgeable one;
it seems, sadly, that yours is not.

--
Onward! Through the Fog!
Willie
http://austinfarm.org/homegrown




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