New Farmers Market hours provide a night-time boost
A common goal among Main Street supporters has been finding a way to lure people downtown in the evening. This has proven to be no easy task. But extending Farmers Market hours to 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday nights appears to be a solid step in the right direction.
The Farmers Market has always been a steady downtown draw on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. The unknown factor in this equation was whether the Farmers Market would provide the same lure at night. Would patrons be as eager to visit downtown in the evening instead of the morning?
These were questions no one had an answer for until Friday night. And if the first-ever Farmers Market at night is any indication, the idea has been greeted with milk and cookies – or in this case tomatoes and peppers.
Farmers Market merchants were overwhelmed by the crowds, with some saying they didn’t bring enough produce. Even some of the customers seemed a bit shocked so many people would lock onto this idea the first time the new hours were offered.
This is exactly the type of evening draw organizers were hoping to tie into other events such as Music in the Park and the Friday night meals offered at The Collection Caf?.
Step by step, the push to bring business back downtown is gaining steam. Based on early indications, evening hours for the Farmers Market will be a nice fit.