build a new farmers market need ideas

[Lori & Brent Crowder]

Hello, We are building a brand new farmers market, We are asking vendors and customers what they like or dislike about farmers markets.

We are looking for construction ideas such as putting a baby changing table in the bathrooms. Installing sinks in the vendor booths, parking issues and vendor rules. The market will be an indoor market with permanent booths. The sky's the limit so add any idea that you or someone has had.

All and any ideas are very welcome.

Thank you
Lori and Brent Crowder

[gardengirl72]

Anyone that is setting up a Farmers Market is super cool with me. I personally would like to see a craft section to Farmers Markets, where fiber arts, photography and other art forms could be sold.

I think food and art together would be really cool. Let us know what happens Lori and Brent. And thank you for signing up here. I am following with baited breath.

[MoniDew]

I couldn't agree with Patti more! Thanks so much for undertaking this challenge! Where are you located?

I think the keys are: LOCAL, ORGANIC, Home/hand-grown/made/raised. Nice amenities would be electrical and water, security, tables and chairs, and most importantly ORGANIZATION. Nothing worse than wondering around for an hour and half trying to find what your looking for!

[Garden Green]

I agree about the organization. Strategical placement of vendors is better than just whipping everyone into the mix. Smelling homemade soap while shopping in baked goods stall is... wrong. Really. But I wouldn't mind picking up a jar of honey after I buy my just-baked-this-morning bread.

I think something that has irritated me in the past is the hawking. I don't mind being sold on something if I'm asking questions in the stall. But I don't want one guy three stalls down to dominate everyone because he had the brilliant idea of bring a mic and loudspeaker. A no hawking rule is a good idea, I think, ours has been much nicer since they instituted a no hawking rule.

A rest area would be good, too. Several of our local markets are large and there is no place to cop a squat when you get tired from toting all that stuff and because it is down town we had to park in the nose bleed section so trotting back and forth is bad. Stone tables and benches in the sun. Benches are various places indoors around the edges of the market.

You may one to consider doing sky light instead of having electric lights, too. Those white panels that increase the light outside and make the inside as bright as daylight would be awesome. I hope that made sense. I don't know what they are called. Less funds going out, more coming in, less cost to the farmer because they don't have to support the electric habit.

Another suggestion is to have an area where some of the farmers can just pull their pick-up trucks up in two rows, tailgates facing and make an area that leads to the indoor area from the outside on nice spring and summer days. Or maybe a ring around the building depend on the size. Increase your vendors without being limited to the inside space.

Hope this helps give you some ideas!

[plantoneonme]

Building a farmer's market is so cool. I love one of the markets I attend and like to have a small cafe area where we can sit and eat. Our market sells everything from veggies and fruits to breads, pastries, pies, eggs, meat and a lot more. I hope you have great success. Kim

[Sinfonian]

Welcome and great idea! Hope it comes to fruition soon! I love a good farmer's market!

I agree with everyone above. I would add that developing a varied group of vendors is key. You want fresh, local goods (preferably organic). Oh, and my wife would disagree, as she has a direct-sales business, but I don't think they're right for a true farmer's market. Crafts in a separate section is ok, but keep it home made at least.

As for the building, it should have at least two roll-up doors for farmers to back their trucks up to unload. Make them in different spots so they don't have to cart everything too far. The doors could be left open to create ventiliation in the summer too.

In addition to the sky lights, high windows help to bring in natural light as well.

Good luck!

[giovanna]

Lori and Brent,
I would love to start a farmers market too. Something that they are doing as an experiment here in some Texas cities is to allow food stamps to be used a farmers markets. I think you have to be set up so everything goes through one central vendor and then split up by sellers. You may want to contact your stated Food Stamp office and ask them about it. You may even be able to apply for a grant if the market is in an area that is targeted.
Local is always best and I like to ones where they sell plants and seeds too.
Good Luck

[plantoneonme]

Lori and Brent,
I would love to start a farmers market too. Something that they are doing as an experiment here in some Texas cities is to allow food stamps to be used a farmers markets. I think you have to be set up so everything goes through one central vendor and then split up by sellers. You may want to contact your stated Food Stamp office and ask them about it. You may even be able to apply for a grant if the market is in an area that is targeted.
Local is always best and I like to ones where they sell plants and seeds too.
Good Luck

In Michigan we have a program called WIC (Women, Infants and Children) that I am pretty sure is a federal program. Each month the recipents receive a coupon for $3 that can be used at farmer's markets on local grown foods only. This may also be something you can check into.

[gardengirl72]

I agree that there should be a place where you can sit and eat. It might be a great opportunity to have different types of Chefs making food with the produce that is sold at the market. It's a great way to create another attraction and give customer's ideas of what to make with the food available at the Market. It might be nice to have maybe different bands as well playing music.

[Lori & Brent Crowder]

I want to thank all of you for your great ideas so far. But I have some other ideas that I want to run by you all.

Some of you have asked where are planning to build. I do not want to tell you to much but we will be in the southern state of Missouri.

The lighting will be mostly for night time and for day light the roof will be covered by a green house material so the whole roof will be one big sky light. The walls will be much like a house with doors and as many window as we can get in there. The center area will house a below ground tornado bunker with battery lighting and air ventilation.

We are planning on having 60 booths inside with each booth having it own door to the outside for vendors to load and unload their vehicles. We will also have a battery fork lift like the one at Home Depot so if you have your stuff on a pallet we can deliver to the center booths. Their will be at least 4 booths that will have full kitchens that will be health department certified.

The market will be located on our farm and we are going to have tours and educational activities and games for kids. The farm and the market will have a lot of kid activities and a play ground. Their will be a fishing pond as well.

Does anyone have any ideas on the items listed above as well as advertising and how to get the customers to keep coming back week after week?

Does anybody have ideas about dogs. Dogs seem to be a very very mixed issue. I have read some post that seem to say the costumers and vendors for that mater will not come unless they can bring a dog. I kind of don't want the dogs as I all ways hear people say how good their dogs but it is not. I have been to a few markets that the dogs were as big as lions and being well mannered but they seem to be distraction. Any comments will be more then welcome?

How about the hours. This is also a mixed subject. Some say it should be no more then 4 hours long as the farmers need to tend to their farms. Some say it needs to be longer hours to catch the people who are working other jobs. Some say not to be open on Sunday or Wednesday because it will conflict with church goers (vendors and customers)

The organic issue is also a hot issue and has started many wars on these threads. Can anybody find anything in writing such as a law that says you can not use some words to fool the public into thinking you are selling organic foods, such as "natural" "pure" "home grown" "chemical free". How should I control the verbiage that vendors use.

[MoniDew]

The dog issue surprises me. If your vendors are traveling with animals, the animals will of course need accomodation. I can't imagine them traveling with animals - without also traveling in RV's. They should therefore, have travel cages/kennels for their animals. The animals should be left at the RV, preferable in the kennel, until their return/break, etc. Not running around the building, tripping over the tableskirts, knocking over displays. If they live within a reasonable distance, the animals should be left at home. That simply seems logical, to me anyway.

As for your hours/days of operation, you will have to find a happy medium that everyone can either live with or suck it up. If you community is extremely religious, (as mine is here in Tulsa), you may - out of respect - want to close on Sunday mornings. Perhaps you can find one week day to remain open until the evening to catch those just coming off of work. But by all means, don't be open all day, every day. You need rest, too! Saturday morning seems to be the time that most of our farmer's markets are open. We do have one or two that are open a certain weekday. (one tues morn and one wed morn) I think it best that you accomodate yourself. It is after all, yours. Right?

That's my two cents.