David Black, director of the Springfield Farmers Market, said the number of vendors has increased from last year, averaging between 22 and 30. It housed a record 40 vendors on opening week.
“We picked up four new produce vendors this year alone, and that’s something for us,” Black said. “Produce is always what I’m looking for.”
The growth isn’t limited to Springfield. Scott Griffith, director of the New Carlisle Farmers Market, said the average number of vendors increased from 15 last year to 20 this year with a high of nearly 30.
Black said that attendance at the Springfield Farmers Market has been pretty steady, with an average of 300 people each week. But he did say that he’s noticed an increase in the diversity of attendees.
“We’re having a few more of your average individuals who might not be your typical really health conscious, athletic, wanting-to-go-exercise (types),” he said.
Black said this is partly because of an increasing trend in buying local products.
“More priority is being placed on local food and more people are becoming more aware of what they eat and why they eat and where it comes from,” he said.
Karin Baumle has been setting up her Champion City Jam booth in the Springfield market for years, selling honey, jams, jellies and mustard. She said most of her produce comes from Clark County.
“I think people are reaching out to have more local food versus knowing that their food is shipped in from other places,” Baumle said. “They like to purchase something that they know comes from their own area, and they have somebody that can tell you about where it came from.”
Jane Skogstrom works in Springfield and has shopped at the market for the last five years. She said it’s very hard to find something at the store that has not been modified.
“I think people are aware that food is not what it used to be, and they’re trying to get back to having it the way they remember as children,” Skogstrom said.
Griffith said that he thinks the farmers market trend will continue because it provides an outlet for locally grown produce, which helps local farm families as well as the local economy.
“In Clark County in particular, we’ve got a lot of farm families in this community,” he said.
Griffith said the other push is certainly making healthier choices in eating.
“And there’s nothing like fresh, locally grown produce,” said Griffith. The New Carlisle Farmers Market, set up downtown in front of various downtown merchants, is open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday through Sept. 28.
The Springfield Farmers Market, which is located close to the Heritage Center just off South Fountain Avenue and opens Saturdays from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., will also close after the last Saturday of the month. But Black said they are taking measures to draw in more customers next year.
“We’re going to change some things in our application process (for the vendors) for next year to tailor our market a little bit more toward what we think Springfielders have been buying and what they’d like,” he said.
About the Author