Location, location, location.
Javier Perez, owner of Perez Market Farm, couldn’t tell you from a realtor’s perspective why that’s important, but as a vendor at the Port Jervis Farmer’s market for over five years, he can tell you its value in sales.
“I sold everything almost,” he said an hour before the first-of-the-season Port Jervis Farmers market closed on June 25.
Since the farmers market moved from a section of the mini mall parking lot off of Front Street to the newly named “Farmers Market Square” in the parking lot on the corner of Pike and Hammond Streets, the number of customers has quadrupled, said Market Manager Sarah Worthy.
“We were averaging about 50 people a day,” said Worthy, who last year worked for a vendor at the old location. “Today we’ve probably had over 200 so far.”
The two vendors who returned this year, Perez Market Farm and Once Upon a Farm, both reported better sales at the new location, and the new vendors said it turned out better than expected.
“We'll be back,” said Kyle Marquis, who was selling vegetables and apple cider for Trapani Farms in Milton, New York.
The location isn’t the only thing that has changed this year, however.
The market has a new committee behind it with a handful of members, a new website, a new logo, and reusable shopping bags with the new logo available for a $15 donation.
The number of vendors has also doubled since last year, going from three to six, and this year there is baked goods, dairy, and soap, in addition to the meat, eggs, vegetables, and syrup available last year.
“I still want to get some preserved, canned stuff… some ready-to-eat food,” said Worthy, whose goal is to have 10 vendors by the end of the season.
The market will be every Saturday, rain or shine, until Oct. 29, and is open 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
To contact this reporter, email [email protected]
Friends Read Free