B2BMonday, October 1, 2007 9:28 PM CDT

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The business hidden behind the mystique of the market

By Troy Clark

Buy local. The old adage couldn’t be better illustrated than at the farmers markets.

Dozens of farmers line up to sell their shiny produce and goods while hundreds of customers line up to discover, inspect and buy. No distributor. No salesman. No grocery store. No middle man. The only way to get closer to your food would be to grow it yourself.

The Farmers Market is a weekly community event. Moms and dads bring their kids out to walk through the crowded streets. Neighbors chatter about their other neighbors. Puppies play on the courthouse lawn. Farmers and artists talk about their photographs, paintings, potatoes and parsley.

And those farmers and artists are also selling those veggies, fruits and works of art.

As fun and exciting as the farmers markets and festivals like Sugar Creek seem – at their base, they’re business outlets and marketing tools. The markets and festivals provide an opportunity to farmers and artists sell their goods and increase their exposure. In the end, the farmers want to make money. The artists want to make money.

This may seem a little cynical and punch some holes in the market’s mystique, but the same terms and strategies we use everyday in the office also apply to the markets and festivals. Off the top of my head, here are just a few:

Marketing – Just being at the market increases visibility, but then when they add a flapping vinyl sign or laminated computer printed price tags, the farmers are putting themselves a step ahead. One of the markets’ mainstays, The Blue Schoolhouse Farm puts outs a weekly newsletter talking about the goings on at the farm and what to expect from the garden.

Competitive and market pricing (heh, that’s kinda funny) – If Farmer A is selling his squash for 50 cents week after week, what’s the likelihood that Farmer C may have to reconsider his $1 price tag. It may not be quite as cutthroat as Wall Street, but farmers want to move their product to make way for the next harvest. I’ve seen some lower their price the last hour of the market just so they don’t have to take much home.

Product placement –They polish and primp the oregano and cilantro. They put the shiniest tomatoes and most delicious cheeses at the front of the table – all to stand out from the other 10 tomato vendors.

Customer service and sales – The farmers and artists may love explaining what painstaking care they give their tomato plants, but they’re also hoping you’re going to buy the tomato. If you’ve been to the market, I’m sure you’ve found some favorite farmers and growers that you search out every week. They made an impression and developed a repeat customer.

And some of those repeat customers are looking for customers of their own. Writer Rachel Hatch talked to some local business owners who take advantage of the markets to improve their appeal in this month’s cover story. They know that, especially in this day and age, that people are more and more concerned about how their food is grown and where it comes from. For proof, they can look out at the crowds strolling through the tents on Saturday morning in downtown Bloomington.

And that’s where friendships and partnerships are born.

Troy Clark

tclark@pantagraph.com

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