Frenchtown Farmers Market seeks to regain momentum with new hours

 After being derailed for nearly a year by nearby roadwork, Frenchtown Farmers Market organizers say the operation needs to be fine-tuned, starting with spreading the word that the market is still operating.  

In late September, the city completed a year-long $4.5 million utility improvement project along a stretch of West Georgia Street to replace worn out water, sewer, and drainage pipes.  

According to the city, access to the market was maintained, but organizers say participation dwindled as patrons seeking to get to their location on North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard were deterred by construction. 

For the past 30 years, the Frenchtown Farmers Market has taken a virtual rollercoaster ride in its attempts to becoming a vibrant staple in the historic community, getting to the point of attracting a diverse mix of vendors and farmers providing fresh and healthy foods to an area whose residents struggle with accessible grocery options.

Annette Harris routinely arrived at the market every Saturday to sell her collegiate quilts, but she says things went downhill this year because people did not know how to get to the market due to the construction and lack of promotion. 

“There has been no community involvement this year,” said Harris, who has participated in the market for the last three years. “Now that they have cut it to one Saturday a month, no one knows that we are there. There needs to be some sort of notification to the public that we’re there.” 

Two weeks ago, Morgan Rosa posted on Facebook that she went by the market at 11 a.m., but operations seemed to be shutting down early. 

“Folks were breaking down the empty tables and packing up,” Rosa said in her post. “No vendors showed. It’s disappointing to see the decline of this community asset.”  

Market organizers say they are aware of challenges in returning the momentum to a landmark that many lobbied so hard to get established. 

Jim Bellamy, executive director of the Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association, the umbrella group that oversees the market, says the lengthy construction cost the farmers market a lot of business, forcing them to shut down for about five months earlier this year.  

“While we embrace and welcome improvements in our community, what about us?” Bellamy said about the market. “Vendors had to close their businesses, we could not provide services to the community, and people couldn’t even figure out how to get in here. It’s all due to this.”  

Before the construction started last August, the market was open weekly from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays. But in August, the market changed its hours to 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month because of the lack of participation. 

The next farmers market will start 10 a.m. Nov. 18. 

Brianna Rogers, marketing director of the Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association, says they try to promote the market on social media for free to keep overhead costs down.  

“We have been sharing information in different Facebook groups and on our Instagram page,” said Rogers. “We’ve been relying on our community partners like Red Hills Small Farm Alliance to share it as well.”  

Organizers exploring options to make operation sustainable

Meltonia Chandler, Director of Operations for the Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association, says the board is in the process of developing a business plan with a goal of increasing pedestrian traffic and boosting visitors. 

“We are trying our best to return back to normal and developing new changes,” Chandler told the Tallahassee Democrat.  “We will host weekly markets on Fridays beginning in January of next year to see if that will help increase foot traffic.”  

Beginning in January, there will no longer be a Saturday market. 

In addition, there are plans to use kiosks, in which four refrigerated vending machines will be distributed to areas in the community to provide fresh produce to help combat food insecurity.  

The market also has a KitchenShare, a commercial kitchen offering bakers and cooks a space to rent and use. Appliances such as conventional ovens, freezers, vegetable prep sinks, and more are available to clients. 

Chandler says the Kitchen Share never shut down despite the market’s hardships. She says vendors still have access to the kitchen and all appliances. 

“Our Kitchen Share is still on and operating,” said Chandler.

Interested food vendors can visit the KitchenShare website for more information on how to rent the commercial kitchen. For additional information on operations, call 850-577-1615.

Mikiyah Everett can be reached at Meverett@gannett.com