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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: "Gary & Sarah Rowland" <hcf AT moment.net>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Subject: Re: Peddlers at Markets
- Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 21:42:32 -0600
Attending many of the same markets as Willie, and setting up next to a
grower makes me a lot happier than I ever was when the neighbor was a
peddler. And because I'm in a better mood I sell more and am nicer to my
customers.
Gary
----- Original Message -----
From: <mckemie AT inetport.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2001 2:11 PM
Subject: [market-farming] Re: Peddlers at Markets
> On Sun, Feb 11, 2001 at 12:43:22PM -0600, Del Williams wrote:
> > It's me, but I assume that everyone is honest until proven otherwise.
>
> An admirable attitude! But a market that uses it as a central premise,
> is likely in for trouble.
> >
> > But when he asks me about the varieties I am going to grow next year I
hedge
> > and won't tell him. He will go right out and buy the seed and grow what
you
> > are growing. Big mistake for him last year. The chinese cabbage and
pak
> > choi didn't sell for either one of us.
> >
> > He asked me about my eggplant and I told him I didn't remember which
variety
> > I had ordered last year. Liar that I am. I just knew he was going to
grow
> > it and compete against me at the market. Yet, I love this guy. I
helped
> > him get into the market because he's just a really good grower with the
> > entrepreneurial spirt. Killer entrepreneurial spirit.
>
> I would judge that to be a minor matter. Here, we too have such minor
> conflicts. Here, though, the re-seller threat has been a great
> unifying factor. Let me tell you how this came about:
>
> Starting in about 1981 there has been a wonderful market in Austin.
> Re-selling had always been a problem because the market was organized
> poorly; the legitimate farmers had no more say in rule making than
> anyone else that showed up with something to sell. It spite of that,
> the market grew and prospered. The general public perception was that
> the market was populated with people selling their own stuff. The
> newspaper did great (free) write-ups on us; full pages; pictures. We
> had 50 to maybe 80 sellers at times. Many had sales of several
> thousand dollars per session; those, however, were mostly the peddlers.
> I, personally, am satisfied with about five hundred dollars in sales
> for a major Saturday market. Eventually, in the late 1980s, things
> started turning down hill. The number of peddlers increased while the
> crowds did not. Gradually, the public perception changed; they
> realized that the sellers were mostly not selling their own stuff. The
> newspaper also apparently came to this realization; they quit giving us
> big spreads. Much of the same stuff was available at supermarkets,
> better cared for and cheaper. I, personally, quit attending this
> market about 10 years ago when a full day of selling at the peak of
> the season gave me $70. Sure, there were still farmers there selling
> their own homegrown stuff, but as the crowds decreased and other
> legitimate markets opened, they found it less and less profitable to
> attend this once thriving market. By about 1995, this market was dead;
> a few peddlers still show up and sell probably a few hundred dollars
> between them.
>
> The refugees from that market have worked for years developing other
> legitimate area markets with mixed results. None have been as
> successful overall as the dead market was in its heyday; but, the
> farmers probably make more money. Our legitimate markets now generally
> suffer from lack of promotion because our management is all volunteer.
> Many times the markets suffer from lack of supply due to our rejection
> of non-member grown stuff. We find we can never attract a large crowd
> of customers until we get some tomatoes coming in. We mostly sell
> under tents while the idle peddlers market sits in a permanent
> government financed structure. I think though, our members are
> happier and mellower not having to watch peddlers taking away sales.
> I know I am.
>
> --
> Onward! Through the Fog!
> Willie
> http://austinfarm.org/homegrown
>
> ---
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-
Re: Peddlers at Markets
, (continued)
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Dori Green, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, S & S Aqua Farm, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Del Williams, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, S & S Aqua Farm, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, mckemie, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Del Williams, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Del Williams, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Jeffery Blake, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, mckemie, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Gary & Sarah Rowland, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Gary & Sarah Rowland, 02/11/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Wiediger, Alison, 02/12/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Alex McGregor, 02/12/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Robert Farr, 02/12/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, wiediger, 02/12/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Robert Farr, 02/13/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Wiediger, Alison, 02/13/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, robert schuler, 02/13/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Alex McGregor, 02/13/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Del Williams, 02/14/2001
- Re: Peddlers at Markets, Del Williams, 02/14/2001
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