What the heck? I heard from a friend, and saw on Stamford 411, that there is a new farmer's market outdoors at the High Ridge shopping center on Wednesdays. Um, isn't that the same day the Bartlett Arboretum holds theirs? So essentially, this second farmer's market is cutting into the Bartlett's biz. Why would people drive the few miles to the Bartlett when they can just swing in, get a latte at Starbucks, browse some books at Border's, and buy some fruits and veggies, all in one stop? I am CONFUSED. Who is running this rogue farmer's market? (Addition 6/26: The city is! See this Advocate article. Even though High Ridge is way more convenient than the Bartlett, I still think the city is stealing the Bartlett's thunder!)
My friend said there were not many veggies at the Bartlett Market this week because the farmer who sold veggies there last year was banned because not enough of his food was grown in CT. But she said there were strawberries, and bread, and that the market is on the lawn at the Bartlett rather than in the parking lot. The Bartlett, a few miles north of the Merritt, is a beautiful setting. You may recall that hilarity ensued last year at the Bartlett's Farmers Market when a naughty dog ran off with a pie.
I'm wondering if this High Ridge market allows that farmer. If so, he must feel pretty happy about taking biz from the Bartlett. I could be totally wrong on this. We'll see. I'm just suspicious of this new market.
Check out some nice photos of the market on Stamford 411.
Posts about the Bartlett:
July 9, 2008-- Bartlett's Farmers' Market: Bumpy Start
And see my photos of the market, including the naughty dog, on flickr!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Competing Farmers Markets on Wednesday? I Do Not Approve.
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7 comments:
I think that there's room for more than one market in town, given how spread out we are. I wouldn't drive from Glenbrook to Bartlett for a few veggies, when I can go to HR or downtown, just as the people in north-nowhere Stamford prolly wouldn't drive all the way downtown for veggies, when they can go to the Bartlett.
Sorry I don't consider the Bartlett Wednesday market a real option for anyone in lower Stamford, especially anyone with a full time job. It's a pity we can't get a lunch time market downtown in lieu of the fake farmer's market on Saturday. It's actually embarrassing for a city the size of Stamford to not have a real downtown market.
The Bartlett is far... but I doubt there are not enough people in North Stamford to fully support its existence. I worry that such amazing competition- so nearby, no less- will end it. I just think it is very, very odd to place another market so close- but I suppose it being close might mean some of those same people will be willing to drive a few miles north to check out a more varied selection at Bartlett? But yes, Silli, it does seem like we are talking about people who don't have to go to work on a Wednesday... and maybe those WITH jobs in the High Ridge area are more likely to be able to make it to the HR Market. To be honest, I'm WAY more likely to hit the HR Market, bc my baby likes to scream in the car. Well, he likes to fuss, and if he's tired, it turns to screams. HR is just 5 minutes from my house, so I'll willing to deal with the risk to drive there!
(Thanks for the comments by the way! I'm typing with the baby pinned on my lap, so I actually have time to respond for the first time in a while! Yay! It's the little things.)
The more the merrier...but we also need quality. One thing the Downtown F'SM does not offer is organic produce. Last Saturday there were only 3 vendors. I went to the F'sM in Westport on Wensdays and it's awesome: cheese, organic produce from varios local farms, organic products: pesto, salsas... I'll check out the other two markets next week!
I went to the High Ridge Market on Weds. and it was really lame. There were only a few vendors there, one of whom was a regular last year at Bartlett's Farmer's Market. I also thought that it was really odd that there were two farmers markets on the same day; think that I'll check Darien or New Canaan's.
When I lived in Santa Rosa, CA, Thursday Night Farmers Market was the event of the week - they close down the streets, there's food and music all night.
One day they purposefully switched it to Weds so that it would coincide with Vallejo's Weds Night Market.
Why?
The gangs from Santa Rosa were going to the Vallejo Farmer's Market, and the Vallejo gangs to the Santa Rosa market, and people kept getting stabbed.
So they made both markets the same night so they would both stay in their own town.
The farmers market sign at High Ridge has confounded me for weeks. Bartlett is trying to bring more attention to their beautiful grounds by holding events like their Farmer's Market, and High Ridge has totally undercut them. There is no excuse for this type of underhanded competition.
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