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Entrepreneurship:  New ideas for Farmer's Market  |
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potterygirl
Farmgirl in Training
14 Posts
Tracy
Ironton
Missouri
USA
14 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 18 2005 : 4:34:08 PM
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Hello Sara!
You are my first responce in the chat room! Thank you! This is quite exciting!
I would be interested in sharing recipe's for diabetics! Also, I am always very interested in getting new recipe's to add to mine and also in learning new tricks! Just lead the way and let me know how we get this going!
At this time, I am getting ready to serve my family my very first Bakeover...It smells great...
I look forward to hearing from you.
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potterygirl
Farmgirl in Training
14 Posts
Tracy
Ironton
Missouri
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2005 : 11:51:12 AM
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.....The garden season is over and this week I am going to try to get with the Extension Council to collect any information I can to get started on a Farmers Market for next year.
If any one has any ideas or facts that might help me, please, let me know.
Thank you! |
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akcowgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Valerie
Homer
Alaska
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2006 : 9:42:25 PM
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This is an old post but i wanted to add that if you have a public program like WIC or a Public Food assistance program you could check with them to see if there is any way that the people who get the coupons for food can use them at your farmers market also. That is what they can do here. The other thing for the diabetic recipes. I have a book called the " I Can't Believe There is No Suger in This" Cook book. It is great Pie's, Cookies, Bread, Muffines, and Drink recipes. Good luck with this summers markets
Valerie
Alaska Girl all the Way
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sillyfoulks
True Blue Farmgirl
164 Posts
Elizabeth
Illinois
USA
164 Posts |
Posted - Mar 23 2006 : 06:59:43 AM
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I have been to some Farmers Markets that were bombs, and others that were fun and bustling. I think the key is finding the right mix of vendors, products, and activities. The best one I have ever been to had a great mix. Not only did they have produce but also had vendors that sold flowers, plants, crafts, and food. They had musicians, and activities for kids. They held theirs on Main St. and all the stores & restuarants stayed open.
It could be a great place for service groups or childrens organizations to raise money. Maybe the High School band can serve lemonaide, or the local PTA can sell snow cones.
Just pick-up the phone and invite a few, let them know they are welcome to set up a table and sell what ever they have to sell. You might even consider creating an area for flea market type vendors. You could get those women that can somehow find the time to visit yardsales, but can't seem to get to the Farmers Market.
One great trick I learned during my years of working with PTA is to invite groups of kids to perform. If the kids are performing the parents will come to watch, and just might wander around and do some shopping.
We are a busy family. Most days from 5 to 7 in the evening are our busiest. I would love to be able to take the family downtown. Pick-up some produce, have lemonaide, listen to music, get fresh flowers for the table. Buy some fresh bread, maybe a couple bars of homemade soap, or a unique gift for that birthday coming up. And don't forget, I don't want to have to think about getting dinner on the table. Find some food vendors, pizza or someone grilling burgers. I want to run into a friend, and feel relaxed enough to stop in the shade a visit for a few minutes.
Elizabeth
Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.
http://livingcountrystyle.blogspot.com/ |
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EverGreen Girl
Farmgirl in Training
20 Posts
Tara
Smoot
WY
20 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2006 : 1:40:15 PM
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Hello,
I sell produce at a Farmers Market in Jackson Hole, WY. One thing that has made this market so successful is that they have turned it into a non-profit organization. As a type of booth fee, each vendor is required to donate 10% of their sales to the "charity of the day". There is a committe in charge of the entire market season and interested charities apply to the committee to become a sponsored charity. The good thing about this set up, is that the members of the charity organizations really go the extra mile in advertising the market throughout the community. The volunteer committee also does a lot of leg work, but they look at it as community service. The down side to this is that the vendors take home less money. 10% seems like a lot to me, but its Jackson Hole, so everything is expensive.
Also, my local extension office just forwarded me an email which may be of interest. The subject is: Farmer's Market Promotion Program - Invitation for Grant Application. It further reads "We urge agriculture cooperatives, local governments, non-profit corportaions, public benefit corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmer's market authorities, and Tribal governments to consider developing proposals for this grant program." I can forward a copy of the email to anyone who contacts me directly.
Good Luck. |
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garliclady
True Blue Farmgirl
274 Posts
Reidsville
NC
274 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2006 : 05:13:19 AM
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I think both morning and afternoon markets can be sucessful. During the week the most sucessful markets are in the afternoon catching people on there way home from work. Most do not want to buy stuff and have to carry it to work. If your market is early AM during the week your customers will more likely be retired or stay at home moms.This can be sucessful if it is in the right location.
We had a down town market (at lunchtime) that bombed because only people who were working in the downtown area would shop there (noone else wanted to fight downtown traffic and find parking) They soon found that people did not want to buy perrisable produce and take it back to the office for the rest of the day. But a market in a shopping center parking lot during the same time of day did great plenty of parking for moms and seniors out doing shopping.another market afew miles away also did well in the late afternoon catching people coming home from work.
Most Saturday markets are more sucessful as morning /early afternoon because people want to spend there evening hours doing other things.
My saturday market is from 6-12 . The early shoppers are usually retired and the midmorning folks are families and the late comers are usually college students and folks who have driven far to get there.
The market is inside and is busy most of the year. There is a wide variety of homegrown /handmade stuff and all local. You can get meat eggs fruits and vegetables fresh baked breads pies etc fresh roasted coffee, biscuits, cheese cake, salsa, humms,jelly,dried herb seasonings, local stone ground grains,local fresh roasted peanuts as well as soaps lotions , hand knited and sewn clothing and more local crafts. This is also a place for friends to meet and people to discuss issues etc.
My Farm http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&ext=1&groupid=140532&ck=
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/]
My blog http://www.epicourier.com/Garliclady/ |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2006 : 5:55:52 PM
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I am reading this topic with a great deal of interest because I intend to write a few articles for some of the local newspapers and also the "tourist" newsletters around here this year about our local farmer's market. I am also one of those people who would like to visit the farmer's market every week, but when it gets right down to it I have other things going on that mean I just don't think about the farmer's market until later in the day on Saturdays. Kind of like a habit that I want to keep but can't get started.
Really strange. I think back to when I was in college, I lived for a year in Spain as an exchange student. We couldn't WAIT until Thursday because that was the day of the open-air market. (My friend and I would buy a ziploc bag full of olives and pig out!) There was everything there from spice sellers (garlic, saffron, and paprika, for example) to jewelry to fabric - really a bazaar. The whole town turned out to visit the market, it was a social occasion. Right in the street off the main plaza in town. Kind of like the summer festivals here in Ohio, only without the concession stands and the rides for the kids..
Oh wait, what about asking the farmer's market management to put IN something for the kids? A straw bale maze, or even face-painting or a clown making balloon animals? Maybe even something educational like a portable petting zoo or pony rides? Then promote the heck out of it - doctor's, dentist, and veterinarian's offices, at the city swimming pool, at the park, for example.
If you can get people in the habit of coming it seems like it would be a good thing.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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JennyWren
True Blue Farmgirl
201 Posts
USA
201 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2006 : 10:48:35 AM
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Hi...
I thought I would share this link with you. It is our Public Market in downtown Milwaukee. www.milwaukeepublicmarket.org/ It is AWESOME.. Done very well! (Including a website for it) It has a lot of great ideas in it. If I were to make a suggestion that would be to make a website that you can advertise on a flyers, business cards that can be put in the bag with purchases.. Then have things that can be printed .. coupons, special Internet savings.. recipes etc.
Take care,
Carla...
If you treat an individual as what he is, he will stay that way, but if you
treat him as if he were what he could be, he will become what he could be.
-- Goethe
www.jennywrensurbanhomestead.blogspot.com/ |
Edited by - JennyWren on Apr 03 2006 10:49:15 AM |
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Entrepreneurship: New ideas for Farmer's Market |
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New ideas for Farmer's Market
