Farmers Market Feedback

Remember this guy? He’s what we call a “grower”. Salt Lake City’s downtown Farmers Market is made up of growers, food vendors and artists. I think it’s funny how we call it a Farmers’ Market but they insist on calling the farmers growers. I wonder if that’s a new “PC” thing. Although I don’t see what’s offensive about calling someone a farmer.

I’ve been asked to return as a member of the Farmers Market Planning Committee. So we had our first planning meeting yesterday afternoon. There are some cool things happening this year. We’re finally going to get an ATM machine so you don’t have to come with cash. I think we have wireless at Pioneer Park now thanks to Xmission. So some of the vendors can take credit cards. They also got a grant from the Salt Lake City Arts Council to pay musicians to perform. So hopefully, the caliber of performers will be up a notch or two.

They’re looking for feedback and ideas on how to make the market better, how to celebrate its 15th anniversary this year, and how to handle problems. I already filled in my feedback sheet, but thought I would ask my fellow Farmer’s Market friends to tell me what you think. So if you have feedback on any of the following questions, let me know.

1. How do you feel about dogs at the market? (We’ve had complaints about owners not cleaning up their messes).
2. If you were to participate in a VIP program with the Market, what perks would you like to see available to you?
3. Do you have any complaints or suggestions about operation hours (8 am to 1 pm)? If we were to have a couple occasions during the season where the market was open at night, would you come?
4. How would you market the Market to appeal to a growing Hispanic audience?
5. Are there any vendors or products you feel are missing at the Market?

Opening day is June 9th, so if you have any concerns, ideas or suggestions about this year’s Farmers Market, let me know and I’ll take them back to the committee.