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Community Corner

THE ORGANIC EVOLUTION OF THE WOODSTOCK (VA) FARMERS' MARKET

It is hard to come up with one good reason to shop at your local farmers’ markets, because there are as many reasons as there are eggs in a farmers’ basket. These collective venues for selling local foods and crafts are fast becoming central to the communities in which they reside, and their menus of products are equally as diverse.

The Woodstock Farmers’ Market, only an hour from Loudoun County but a world away, is a case in point. It began 20 years ago as an impromptu gathering of a handful of local farmers’ selling produce left over at week’s end in a vacant parking lot. Since that time, the market has grown to 30 or so vendors and has set up in the Rite Aid parking lot, the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds and, for the past few years, under canopy at the Fort Valley Nursery. As with most farmers’ markets, there is a stable of anchor vendors you can count on seeing each and every week - mostly fresh produce farmers, meat farmers and bakers - peppered with a large group of  artisans and craftspeople rotating weekends to fill out the weekly lineup.

At their essence, farmers’ markets are simply a collective of small local businesses. Studies show that buying local holds many benefits to consumers. A large percentage of money spent on locally owned businesses, service providers and farmers goes back into the community; more local jobs are created; there is less environmental impact (compare a head of lettuce picked days ago and shipped from California to one picked on Saturday morning and driven 10 miles to market); buy what you want, not what someone else wants you to buy; and, something that is often missing in the big box store environment, great customer service.

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Market vendors understand that excellent products and exceptional customer service are necessities not asides. Most vendors are happy to talk about how they grow or make their products and want customer feedback so they can adjust their inventory accordingly. It is not unusual for vendors and customers to chat a good long while before, during and after a sale. At Woodstock’s Saturday market, it is not unusual to see several generations of families meandering their way through the market, catching up with friends and neighbors, veggies tucked under one arm, gifts under the other, toes tapping to the music of the day. Without customers, farmers’ markets would not exist.

Regular market customers, or regulars, have a few tricks up their sleeve to get the most out of their shopping experience. Regulars know tomatoes, asparagus and onions sell out fast so arrive early to get the best pick of the crop. Regulars understand it is about value. Something may cost a little more at the farmers’ market - though that certainly isn’t the norm - but fresh food lasts longer, creating less waste. Regulars realize that handcrafted items more than likely do not reflect the actual amount of time spent making them and there is often a story that doesn’t cost one cent extra. If regulars do not see what they are looking for, they ask and often get their name on a vendor list for notification when a crop or product becomes available. In fact, a request may eventually become a standard item later in the season or next year. Many arts and crafts vendors will gladly make something to order, often with no extra charge.

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Woodstock Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with live music from 10 a.m. to noon. The market now has a web site where the weekly vendor list and musician lineup is posted, including links to individual web sites where you can learn more about a vendor or musician: www.woodstockvafarmersmarket.com.
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