A Note from the Manager
Market Wednesday 2020
And though she be but little, she is fierce. [William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream]
Market Wednesday has a mantra: ‘Life happens. Nature happens. Farming happens.’ A farmers’ market becomes organic (no puns intended!) and comes to life fueled by its vendors, its customers, and its community. We can create a great environment when it comes to finding a place for a farmers’ market, but because a market is fueled by the ebbs and flows of life, nature, and farming, we never always know what to expect.
This 2020 season we find three major changes. First, the market roster is smaller this season. In our fifteenth year, Market Wednesday is experiencing a transition season. Second, the market is opening its season with a drive-thru format. Third, the market is changing locations, but not going far.
This market has always played the role of the mid-week mini-mart between the weekend markets, bringing the best of the best vendors from those weekend markets to Westerville. When we opened for business in 2006, the idea of a mid-week market was different and new. This market has been and is a family. The market is changing and transitioning to a new form, because the people who made the market happen - our vendors and customers - are changing with life - some have lost loved ones; some are making decisions to adapt to changes in their health; some are recovering from crop damage; some have new kids or kids getting older, even graduating or moving; some are ready to retire; some have businesses caught up in COVID19 curve response closings; some have become so successful they need Wednesdays for pre-weekend production; some are taking on additional work; some want to stay closer to home.
Market Wednesday is currently open for a socially distant drive-thru format in the parking lot behind the city building at 64 E. Walnut.
There will be an a-frame sign on E. Walnut right before the turn onto the east drive that goes along the bike/hike path back to the parking lot – market vendors will be set up for drive-thru in the first row (eastern-most) of parking spaces. Market customers can exit back to E. Walnut via that same drive or via Library Road.
To Pre-order/Pre-pay:
- The customer contacts the vendor/vendors to place and pay for an order/orders.
- The vendor will then fill the order, prepping it for pick-up on Market Wednesday.
- The market will be open Wednesdays for special drive-thru hours from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot behind the city building at 64 E. Walnut.
- Vendors will convene in the market space and work from their vehicles (they don't set up a traditional space).
- Customers drive-thru the space, pop the trunk, stop at each vendor they ordered from, the vendor places the customer's order in the trunk, the trunk is closed, the customer drives off.
- No customer leaves their vehicle.
- There are only pre-paid orders, no shopping or sales take place live and on-site.
This season’s drive-thru format vendors are:
Hinton Apiaries (Drive-thru: Pre-Order and Pre-Pay (via Square or PayPal) Call 614.871.4904. All orders must be placed by 5 p.m. Tuesday to guarantee your order will be ready for pick-up. (You can place an order after 5:00 p.m., but there is no guarantee the order can be ready for pick-up. Hinton Apiaries will set up for business when we begin the traditional market format.))
Sweet Thing Gourmet (Drive-thru Pre-Order/PrePay. Place your order online at www.sweetthinggourmet.com or call Mark and Kyla at 614.252.1830 before Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. Sweet Thing Gourmet accepts all major debit and credit cards. Sweet Thing Gourmet will also be setting up for business at Market Wednesday when we begin our traditional market format.)
Possible, hopefully Ohio City Pasta (We will see Ohio City Pasta during the drive-thru market format, but not right now. Ohio City Pasta pasta and sauces are made in Cleveland, and they need to bring their production back up to speed. We will see Greg Hrizco at market as soon as he has ample product.)
This season’s traditional format vendors are:
Aunt Patsy’s Blueberries (Welcome to new vendor Patricia Matchett. A limited engagement vendor for blueberry season – probably mid-June)
Flying J Farm (Dick Jensen does not want to participate in the drive-thru, so we’ll see Dick when the market begins its traditional format. Flying J Farm will not be attending market in extreme heat.)
Growlers Dog Treats (A nod to our canine market customers. Growlers will make occasional appearances this season during the traditional market format, and we hope to see Growlers on a regular basis next season.)
Hinton Apiaries (Drive-thru: Pre-Order and Pre-Pay (via Square or PayPal) Call 614.871.4904. All orders must be placed by 5 p.m. Tuesday to guarantee your order will be ready for pick-up. (You can place an order after 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, but there is no guarantee the order can be ready for pick-up. Hinton Apiaries will set up for business when we begin the traditional market format.))
Made Without Grain (Kathy Wegner is a limited engagement vendor this season and we’ll see Kathy on May 27th, June 17th, July 1st, July 29th, and August 26th.
Ohio City Pasta (We will see Ohio City Pasta during the drive-thru market format, but not right now. Ohio City Pasta pasta and sauces are made in Cleveland, and they need to bring their production back up to speed. We will see Greg Hrizco at market as soon as he has ample product.)
Ohio Farm Direct (Owner and cheesemaker Doug Daniels does not want to attend the drive-thru format, so we will see Paula and Karl Bender and OFD’s delicious cheeses when we begin the traditional market format.)
Sweet Thing Gourmet (Drive-thru Pre-Order/PrePay. Place your order online at www.sweetthinggourmet.com or call Mark and Kyla at 614.252.1830 before Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. Sweet Thing Gourmet accepts all major debit and credit cards. Sweet Thing Gourmet will also be setting up for business at Market Wednesday when we begin our traditional market format.)
In time:
Branstool Orchards (The orchards are still recovering from the 2019 polar vortex damage – so no peaches this season in Westerville. Trees are planted and nature needs to run its course. Marshall expects to have peaches this season, just not enough to bring to market, they will be available at the orchard in summer months. Looking to next year.)
Java Central (We are holding space.)
Montezuma Brand Sauces and Salsas (We are holding space.)
What Changed:
Bird’s Haven Farms has retired their CSA, retired from Market Wednesday and are staying closer to home, attending the Granville Farmers’ Market. We may see Bird’s Haven Farms on occasion with their market bags – they have planted for large orders that are no longer needed as restaurants and establishments closed due to the COVID19 curve response. Sign up for e-mail messages or follow Bird’s Haven Farms on facebook. https://www.birdshavenfarms.com/
Doran’s Farm Market, also staying close to home, retired from farmers’ markets, but they will still have U-Pick and the Farm Market. http://www.doransfarmmarket.com/
Pleiades Maple Products retired from Westerville – the market’s hot summer days and the heavy lifting that goes with setting up for the farmers’ market are a two-person operation these days, so Pleiades is attending Worthington and there are always farm store hours. https://www.facebook.com/PleiadesMapleProducts/
These three anchor vendors (above) have been with the market since 2006, and Bird's Haven Farms and Doran's Family Farm brought farm fresh produce Uptown before Market Wednesday even existed. (Birds and Dorans used to set up in front of City Hall and were the inspiration for the out-of-this-world idea that Westerville could and would support a mid-week farmers' market.).
Decided not to attend Market Wednesday:
Lona Belle’s Home Baked Goods https://www.facebook.com/LonaBelles
Kingdom Fish/Kingdom Farms https://www.kingdomfish.com/
This market continues to be willing to wait for the right vendor to feed the need, so we don’t fill a space because it’s empty, we fill a space because we’ve found the best vendor.
The market did reach out to potential new vendors, and while they did say yes to the outreach, when the time came for a commitment… crickets. The right things usually happen in the long-run, for everyone concerned, and so we move on and move forward.
We’ll keep looking.
And, Market Wednesday’s gracious host, Church of the Messiah, U.M. is scheduling more events at The Gathering Place, and would like Wednesday access to 62 N. State St., the home to the Uptown Westerville Farmers’ Market since 2006. Quite honestly, for those of you who follow the interloping parking saga that appeared in 2017 and has continued, in spite of our best efforts, the space is no longer servicing the market’s needs and we embraced the change. The church offered the parking space to the east of the lot (where customers have been parking) as well as the small parking lot behind Rotary Park at 17 E. Home – and with a smol, but fierce traditional farmers’ market format – that E. Home Street lot that mirrors the south half of the former space, seemed just right. So, when we are ready to move to the traditional market format, the new home for Market Wednesday is now 17 E. Home Street (still at N. State and E. Home, just on the southeast corner).
When Market Wednesday opens in the traditional market format, we will be following all protocol, standards, and guidelines for the COVID19 curve response.
Getting the season rolling and getting the word out has taken longer than usual. In addition to my business, I am working part-time in essential retail, and last minute changes in the market roster and market location, along with the uncertainty of the COVID19 curve response have created one of the things I love and hate at the same time – a logistical challenge! It truly takes a village, but someone’s still gotta do the paperwork!!
Thanks for your patience, and thanks for supporting Market Wednesday and its vendors each season, indeed, and especially during these changing times.
Be safe. Be well.
See you at the market.
~ Linda.
Linda Foor
Manager
Uptown Westerville Farmers’ Market
Since 2006.
Home grown. Home made. All Ohio.
No comments:
Post a Comment