When Roswell and the Fulton County Extension Office took a flyer on opening a farmers market on city parkland at Riverside Drive, no one really knew if it would catch on. Now we know.
Eight tents went up that first weekend in June, now 30 vendors are happy to pay for a space to sell their fresh fruit and vegetables, handmade crafts and honey. There are other wares, but these are what dominate.
And why are the vendors happy. Because the customers love everything they have to sell. North Fulton Extention agent Louise Estabrook is the honcho of Roswell Farmers Market. She rings the bell in the morning to open the Saturday market and she rings the noon bell to close it.
She says the market has succeeded remarkably, and it is doing precisely what it was designed to do.
"We wanted to bring locally grown produce to the people of the area, and support local growers. That is why we enforce strictly the rule that produce most be grown within a 100-mile radius of Roswell," Estabrook said. "We want to give people food that is fresh from the field."
When Estabrook approached Roswell Historic and Cultural Affairs Director Morgan Timmis about the possibility of starting a market in Roswell, Timmis jumped at the chance.
"We have had discussions with merchants and our Cultural Arts Board about starting a market, so when Ms. Estabrook asked about starting a market, without hesitation I said yes," said Timmis.
Timmis suggested several sites in Roswell, but she and Estabrook quickly agreed Riverside Park with its parking, proximity to the road and bathroom facilities made it the perfect choice.
Roswell resident Rhonda Scott loves coming down to the river to buy corn, tomatoes, beans, squash and whatever else she can find.
"I like fresh grown vegetables, and I really like the fact that I don't have to travel far to get them," she said.
But why do growers like Bill Jackson come from Villa Rica, make the trek to Roswell with gasoline above the $4 a gallon mark? Jackson sells corn, tomatoes, honey, bee pollen (great protection against allergies) and his handmade wooden bowls.
"I like to grow it one county and sell it in another. I like showing people my vegetables, and my honey and my bowls. I like to meet people," Jackson said.
Retired after 20 years with the AJC, Jackson raises all his produce on his farm. He says he really likes the customers at the Roswell Market.
"They really appreciate what you do. They're just really glad to see you and talk to you – and buy what you have," he said.
Leslie Foley, a Fulton County master gardener who volunteers at the market, said many growers say the same thing.
"One man brings free-range eggs up here from Rockdale County. Twenty minutes after we ring the bell he's sold out. People love his eggs, and he doesn't have to come this far to sell them. But he just likes the people," she said.
Husband and wife Russ and Tana Flanagan are growers from Lithia Springs who split their time coming to Roswell on Saturdays, the Dunwoody-Spruill Market on Wednesdays and the Powder Springs Market on Thursdays.
They have 1,200 tomato plants and pick 700 pounds to 800 pounds a week. That's not bad for Russ who got his degree in agricultural economics at UGA to sell commodities. Now self-employed, he and his wife go to these markets under their banner "Hobbies Gone Wild."
"I've always gardened, but now we're borderline farming. We like it because it lets us spend time together," Russ said. "This was a huge experiment for us. We didn't know how we'd do it. But these markets allow us to do it."
Roswell resident Linda Dixon is a shopper at the Roswell Market, but she likes it for another reason. She works for Fulton Commissioner Tom Lowe. She says Lowe is a great supporter of the County Extension Office and the work it does.
"This market hooks up small growers and consumers without the middle man," Dixon said.
Labels: City of Roswell, Georgia, Riverside Farmers Market, Riverside Park, roswell farmers market
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 3:28 PM
