With winter bearing down, some farmers markets find creative ways to stay open and safe
Pre-pandemic Burlington farmers market bustles with customers. Some markets are grappling with how to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting to open outdoors during winter months instead of indoors, where the virus spreads readily. Photo courtesy of Church Street Marketplace.
This has been no ordinary season for Vermont Farmers’ markets, and as temperatures drop, markets across the state tackle the challenge of remaining open during the COVID-19 pandemic, which spreads readily indoors.
Usually some farmers’ markets across the state would be moving indoors once the cold weather hits. This year, however, markets must follow specific health and safety guidelines released in June by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
The Burlington Farmers’ Market is making changes to their winter market. This year, instead of having an indoor market that operates regularly throughout the winter season, The Burlington Farmers’ Market will be operating in an outdoor parking lot once before Thanksgiving and once before Christmas, said market director Mieko Ozeki.
“We know people are stocking up then, and they're often getting ready for the holidays,” said Ozeki.
The Burlington Farmers’ Market is operating in-person in a parking lot off Pine Street Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. until Oct. 17.
The Burlington Farmers’ Market wanted to remain an in-person market rather than adopt a drive-through model or a curbside pickup model, Ozeki said.
In order to remain open to the public, a number of safety precautions had to be implemented, including monitoring of entry ways and exits as well as directing a one-way traffic flow.
“You have to kind of be really restrictive and having a parking lot is very beneficial to us,” said Ozeki about the outdoor space.
Though new safety measures have forced markets to change their business models, it is crucial to their revenue and reputation that customers and vendors feel safe. “Our vendors wouldn’t come to the market if it wasn’t a safe place for them,” Ozeki said.
In Vermont, farmers’ markets are keystone suppliers of produce. Ozeki said operating was not a choice, it was a necessity.
“Our priority is food distribution,” Ozeki said, recognizing how important direct sales are to both farmers and community members.
Farmers, Ozeki said, profit more from selling directly to buyers than they would trying to sell through a city market. In turn, community members benefit by gaining access to a local and affordable food source.
Community members with food insecurities especially depend on the operation of the market. “We process an increasing number of people who are on food assistance. They rely on having access to this market,” Ozeki said, explaining that the market caters to community members who use SNAP and other food benefits.
The Capital City Farmers’ Market in Montpelier is also adjusting their usual winter market operations. Like the Burlington market, The Capital City Farmers’ Market will be unable to regularly operate a market in coming months.
“Unfortunately, we have been unable to find an indoor space large enough. We would need something along the lines of a warehouse space to have adequate distancing and airflow,” said Capital City Farmers’ Market manager Keri Ryan.
Instead, once their summer season ends Oct. 30, The Capital City Farmers Market will move to a pre-order and pickup business model.
“People will be able to pre-order directly with vendors and farmers,” said Ryan.
In addition, The Capital City Farmers Market is also operating a one-time Thanksgiving market Nov. 21 in a tent on the State House lawn. “We’ll have some coverage for our customers to keep them out of the elements if it is a little bit drizzly or snowing but plenty of open air,” Ryan said.
In the meantime, the market is operating every Saturday from 9a.m to 1p.m. until Oct. 30 in their outdoor location on State Street.
“It’s a very different market experience than it used to be,” Ryan said, referring to rules like masking, distancing, sanitation stations and airflow directions that the market has adopted.
The rules have not caused loss of business for the Capital City Farmers’ Market. Ryan said the people attending the market are loyal customers, eager to buy local.
“A lot of my produce vendors especially, not only are they selling out every week, but they’re reporting record sales numbers over any market year ever in the past,” Ryan said.
Not every market will operate in the approaching cold weather months. Many markets across the state are only operating until mid-October. Stowe Farmers’ Market does not usually have a winter season and this year is no different.
“Our market ends on Oct. 11, so we kind of get the best of foliage and then we are done for the season until May,” said Stowe Farmers’ Market manager Hannah Stearns.
For now, the market continues to operate every Sunday from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. at an outdoor location of Mountain Road.
Like other markets, the Stowe Farmers’ Market has made changes to their business model this season, despite a slow start.
“Things have really picked up and vendors are feeling really encouraged by the amount of business, saying it’s just about comparable to a regular year,” Stearns said of market business.
Stearns said that during the current season, customers have embraced mask requirements, sanitizer stations, and spacing, all of which have given the market a different look and feel.
“We got a lot of people thanking us for being there so it’s been nice to have support from our community,” Stearns said.
