Farmers Market Wants to Know its Customers

The Clayton Farmers Market, which brings about 250 people to Town Square each Saturday for farm-fresh food and crafts, wants to know more about its customers and intends to start asking.

The information could be a great help with marketing, said Market Board Chair Deborah Hooker.

"The Board's current big Project is to find out where, generally, our customers are coming from, how they found out about the market, what they think of the market, what they'd like to see at the market in terms of products and events, and so on," Hooker said. "We are drafting and refining a survey now, which we hope to begin conducting on-site, on the Square, to find out those things."

And, though the Market closes down each year at the end of October, Hooker said they plan to be back on Town Square on the third Saturdays of November and December for holiday shopping.

"Our customers can buy fresh ingredients for their two biggest meals of the year from the market's vendors, and shop for hand-made items for Christmas gifts from our craftspeople," she said.

The Market Board, which wants to get a permanent market manager hired as soon as possible, is also working to get certification to participate in the USDA's Farmers Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

The market offers food and crafts from 29 local vendors, with an average of 17 on-site each Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm.

"We want to keep the money circulating in the local economy," she said. "Our market's focus is on fresh and local. Plus, we hope we are doing something for the environment by helping, in some small way, to cut down on the effects of transporting produce, meat and so on over long distances."

Here's a quick look at some of the vendors:

PRODUCE: Smith's Nursery, McKenzie Family Farms, RareEarth Farms, Melrose Haas---who have and will continue to offer seasonal vegetables, berries and flowers.

HONEY & BLUEBERRIES: Shamrocks Buzzy Bees offers honey, as does Creekside Farms, but their specialty is blueberries. "We have heard from several people that they are the best blueberries they've ever eaten," Hooker said. Creekside also does gourd birdhouses.

BAKED GOODS: Cleveland Cake and Coffee Co., Cakes Unlimited by Benisha and Sweet Revenge supply our customers with breads, pastries, cakes, and other baked goodies.

MEAT: Triple T Ranch, CSA, Lucky 3, Garrett's Olde Time Country Pork and RareEarth Farms are our meat vendors, offering free-range poultry, grass-fed and grass-finished beef, and pork. Lucky 3 also offers quilts and home-made jams and hand-made cards.

EGGS: Triple T and Darlene's Eggs.

PLANTS: Vendors who offer bedding plants, herbs, and hanging baskets -- Toad Song Farm, Sunday Morning Farms, Birds and Bees, Smith's Nursery, Riverman's Mushrooms (but his specialty is mushrooms).

BEVERAGES: DD&J's Old Fashioned Kettle Korn -- freshly squeezed limeade and lemonade, among other beverages; Javafit Coffee; Cornerstone Teas - offering blends of organic teas both hot and cold. As a market money-maker, Leslie Hubbard sells (for the market) Blenheim Ginger Ale made by a family in South Carolina with real ginger and a kick!

CRAFTS: Heartfelt by Keiko (custom-sewn items); Charles Guarneri, "The Burner" (wood-burning art); Crystal's Treasures -- beautiful silver and bead jewelry.

SPECIALTIES: Kreature Konfections (home-made, organic dog and kitty treats); HOMs LLC (all-natural insect repellent, weed and pest killers).

MUSHROOMS: Riverman's Mushrooms -- absolutely the BEST Shitake Mushrooms around.

ORGANIC ICE CREAM: Taylor Farm Organics has been offering organic, home-made ice-cream all summer.