Move our farmers market? Friends read about a proposed plan, and took some action.

Published by Mr. Administrator on August 20, 2021. Filed under
Move our farmers market? Friends read about a proposed plan, and took some action.

On February 25th, 2021 Evanston Now reported that the Downtown Market might be moved to Fountain Square. The motivation for the market relocation is financial. Annie Coakley, Executive Director of Downtown Evanston, states “the move could provide opportunities for additional sponsorships and related activities that could generate more revenue for the group’s activities.” Another board member sees the move as generating more business for struggling downtown retailers.
It was Evanston Economic Development Committee member Lisa Dziekan who said the city should survey the vendors at the market to make sure they would support the change. “My biggest concern would be if somehow it led to a weakening of the number of farmers participating,” she was reported as saying. And that’s where FEFM stepped in. We realize the 46-year-old, award -winning, popular market attracting the best of the Midwest growers and artisans doesn’t just happen. Every Saturday, before dawn, trucks pull into the parking lot where the preparation, under the direction of market manager, Myra Gorman, begins for a wonderful display of nature’s gifts. For 27 Saturdays, this growers and shoppers mega-event unfolds with precision, very much like the operas I enjoy.
The Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets developed a survey intended to provide concrete information on the scope of our current market–the footprint of vendors’ spaces, the time they take to set up, their requirement for electric, water, or other services, and many other details. The survey also dug deep into the relative importance of many details that make our current market possible. We consider all this information critical in considering this potential move. Why?
You can put a farmers market almost anywhere–here’s the original site of our Downtown Evanston Farmers Market in 1975, and it’s a far cry from the weekly event 46 years later.

So what kind of a market would fit in the proposed new location, and would that location suit the needs of the vendors who make our market the destination for thousands of shoppers each week?
 
We received survey responses from more than 80% of our vendors. We have shared the survey results with the city of Evanston, and with the vendors of our market. Now, we’d like to share the information with you, the shoppers who also make our market one of the best in the country. Click right here for a summary of the results, and our observations regarding the results.
 
We’re interested in your thoughts as well. Our market was founded in 1975 by several Evanston citizens. One of them was Harriet Friedlander, who passed away last year. The Evanston Roundtable’s obituary explained, “Harriet founded the Evanston Farmers Market in 1975 out of a desire to be able to buy locally-grown organic produce. Driven out by low-cost grocery chains, farmers markets had disappeared in the Chicago area after the Second World War, but began reappearing in the mid- and late 1970s. The Evanston Market was the very first, and soon was widely emulated in both the city and suburbs. Harriet was well-known among the farmers, many of whom have now been at the market for decades.” Our citizens have driven the existence and growth of the market for nearly a half century. That’s a tradition worth continuing. Send your comments to info@evanstonfarmersmarkets.org.