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Yearly Archives: 2020
Collingswood SAT AUG 08
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A few additions coming
Cheese Etc and Macona BBQ are not with us yet, but we have room for them when they join us. SAT AUG 08, we’ll have our first visit from Neil’s Sharpening Service.
Traffic Complication
We’ve had to re-orient some vendors at the west end of the Market to accommodate the loss of our “exit lane” through the driveway of a local restaurant. That clumsiness is now permanent. We’re adding cones and barriers to guide shoppers through the new layout.
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Collingswood SAT AUG 01
A few additions coming
Now that the berry farms have finished their brief season, we have room—and have been approved—to add some familiar vendors. Cheese Etc and Macona BBQ will join us in the the coming weeks, and more immediately, SAT AUG 08, we’ll have a visit from Neil’s Sharpening Service.
Traffic Complication
Last week one of our Haddon Avenue restaurants added outdoor seating in the driveway the police have been using to enter and exit the police station during Market hours. We had to re-orient some vendors at the west end of the Market. It was a bit clumsy and disturbed the One-Way loop. Well . . . those complications are now permanent. Please be patient as we do our best to route shoppers through the new layout.
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Collingswood SAT JUL 25
Vendors’ Board
Back in the pre-pandemic innocence of early 2020, we decided at the 2019/2020 Review/Preview meeting to form a Vendors’ Board that would, among other responsibilities, approve new vendor applications and help the Director resolve disputes or conflicts among active vendors.
A little thing called COVID-19 disrupted that worthy plan, but now it’s time to revive it. We may have to meet on Zoom to form the Board and conduct early business, so please keep that in mind when you volunteer to serve. Whether or not you attended the Review/Preview, if the idea of a Vendors’ Board appeals to you, and if you agree to abide by the decisions of its active participants, please respond to this email with your request to join.
Reminder to Corn Vendors
Last week’s customers were vocal in their disapproval of some of our vendors’ corn-handling policies. As a public entity devoted to our customers’ safety and comfort, we agreed that we would provide alternatives for BOTH customers who are fearful of other customers handling produce and customers who are not.
This week and forward, IF you elect to let customers hand-select their own corn YOU MUST ALSO:
- provide bagged dozens (or half-dozens, or any quantity that works for you) for nervous customers and those who simply want to avoid waiting in line, OR
- offer to bag custom orders of any size FROM A STOCK NOT ALREADY HANDLED by other customers.
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Collingswood SAT JUL 18
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Collingswood SAT JUL 11
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Collingswood SAT JUN 27
Site Plan
Now that we’re familiar with the Walking Plan, I’ll use today’s FarmMarketeer page to note only the changes for SAT JUN 27.
Most vendors occupy the same spaces they did on JUN 20, except for the 6 conventional produce farms that set up in spaces 18-23.
In those cases, each farm moves east by one space this week, and will do so again next week, while the farm that was “last,” (Space 23) moves to become “first,” (Space 18). I’ve adopted this plan to be as fair as possible to the many farms that sell similar products. You can still individualize yourselves and earn a competitive advantage by promoting products not available at other farms.
I will help you do this if you provide me with the relevant information. I will also encourage Cass Duffey to use our weekly newsletter to further promote your sales, specials, or unique products.
The Roster
With numbers keyed to the Site Map.
The One-Pager
Important changes to the One-Pager include a clarification about gloves and the elimination of the West End Cashier. Small bills are still available at the East End along with the ATM.
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Collingswood Walkthrough SAT JUN 20
Site Plan
Now that we’re familiar with the Walking Plan, I’ll use today’s FarmMarketeer page to note only the changes from the week of SAT JUN 13.
The Site Plan
Most vendors occupy the same spaces they did on JUN 13, except for the 6 conventional produce farms that set up in spaces 18-23.
In those cases, each farm moves east by one space this week, and will do so again next week, while the farm that was “last,” (Space 23) moves to become “first,” (Space 18). I’ve adopted this plan to be as fair as possible to the many farms that sell similar products. You can still individualize yourselves and earn a competitive advantage by promoting products not available at other farms. I will help you do this if you provide me with the relevant information. I will also encourage Cass Duffey to use our weekly newsletter to further promote your sales, specials, or unique products.
The Roster
With numbers keyed to the Site Map.
The One-Pager
Important changes to the One-Pager include the end of the ban against strollers, shopping carts, and wagons.
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Collingswood Walkthrough SAT JUN 13
Site Plan
The plan is to extend the Market alllllllllllllllllllll the way from Irvin Avenue (where it usually starts) back to Collings Avenue, so we can fit as many produce vendors as possible underneath the shelter of the Speedline.
Other vendors, including coffee beans and bakery items, and all the meat vendors except Hillacres Pride, will fill a “second tier” of vendors that, oddly, have to straddle the parking meters to make more room for pedestrians.
ALL VENDORS FACE NORTH (toward Haddon Avenue)!
Pedestrians travel counter-clockwise whether they enter from the west or the east. We’re encouraging them to park at the PATCO Collingswood Station, which would bring them into the Market on the “right hand side” of this plan.
The Site Plan
With numbers keyed to the Roster.
The Roster
With numbers keyed to the Site Map.
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
The One-Pager
Helpful instructions for vendors, shoppers, and the Market
Concerns about the plan?
The plan has been published now, but I will still pay attention to your concerns if I’ve made a big blunder you can help me correct.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
collsmkt@davidhodges.com
Mount Holly 2020, THU JUN 04
Week 01 of the 2020 Season
THU JUN 04—Opening Day
Our Response to the Pandemic
Burlington County and the Township of Mount Holly have approved our plan for a walking Farmers’ Market with a few reasonable accommodations to public health and safety.
- Maintain adequate space between vendors and enforce 6-foot social distancing between customers and vendors
- Assure smooth traffic flow
- Face coverings for vendors and customers; gloves for vendors handling food
- Hand sanitization available for all
- No customers or vendors experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- No eating on site. No sitting/eating areas that would encourage lingering.
- Prepared food will be packaged, not intended for on-site consumption
- Pre-pay or electronic payment whenever possible
- Signs posted to encourage rule compliance
Additional Measures
Beyond what the county and township require, the Market will implement additional policies to reduce food contamination and the handling of products and cash.
- Food will be displayed on tables, clearly marked, and priced in even dollar amounts to speed ordering and eliminate the need to make change.
- A Cash Table at the entrance will dispense zip-lock bags containing single dollar bills in quantities of $5, $10, and $20 to reduce the need to make change.
- I haven’t found one perfect picture yet of how food should be arranged on tables, but I’ve gathered several examples.
- Work to provide a setup with containers representing the amount of produce that can be sold in a flat-dollar amount, presented as “samples.”
- Dispensing of actual product takes place behind the table, or from your truck. The samples remain on the table.
Regarding Money
If you’re careful about how you handle transactions, we DO NOT NEED an extra person at every table just for money. One farm staff should be able to handle both food and cash.
- David will bring enough small change so that HE can break large bills for customers BEFORE THEY SHOP.
- If you price your products in flat-dollar amounts, customers will be able to give you exact change, eliminating the need for money to pass from your hands to theirs.
- Consider allowing customers to place their exact change payments into a box.
- Some vendors, such as the meat purveyors, for whom flat-dollar pricing is impossible, don’t actually handle the food anyway. Everything is vacuum-packaged, so they can safely handle food, making change, and credit cards.
Weather Policy
In the Music Tent
In keeping with the prohibition against “lingering,” we will, sadly, not have live music at the Market when we open in June. But of course we will be delighted to welcome back our favorite musicians from last year (and stay on the lookout for new talent) as soon as we’re able.
Load In
FOR OPENING DAY, PLEASE ARRIVE BETWEEN 1PM AND 1:30PM.
We need to close the Market to Vehicle Traffic
before the entrance opens at 3pm.
The good news is, this year we have plenty of space in the parking lot for our own vendor vehicles, so EVERYONE can drive in and leave trucks, vans, trailers in your own retail space!
Click here for driving directions.
Google Map link to 23 Washington Street.
This is the Municipal Building / Police Station at 23 Washington Street.
The Market sets up in the Parking Lot behind this building.
Contracts and Fees
Those of you who have not submitted your Application/Contract paperwork need to comply to remain active at the Market and to take advantage of the Fee Rebate Program.
Download the Application from the Mount Holly Contracts link at the top of this website. Complete the app in Word, in PDF, or on paper, and send it to Sean Kennedy, whose name and address are on the first page of the contract package.
FEE REBATE PROGRAM
Prepay your dates to qualify for Fee Rebates. Earn a full 100% rebate for table fees for every Market you attend. Prepay for 10 dates (for example), attend those 10 dates, and you’ll be refunded 100% of your fees at the end of the season.
DAY PAY VENDORS
Afraid of commitment? You can pay on Market day. The Market Director will have receipts for day-pay vendors who prefer the flexibility of paying when they attend, but no rebates can be earned without prepaid dates.
Facebook Promotion
We were very visible on Facebook last week. Not so much this week. If anybody wants to help keep us in front of the local shopping public, let David know you want to lend a hand. Click the link to see what we’ve been up to.
Website
The Township produced a sharp-looking website for our shoppers who think facebook is evil.
http://www.MountHollyNJFarmersMarket.com
Let David know if you want to be on the Featured Vendors’ list for THU JUL 18. We welcome all our vendors to provide us with information about their farms and foods. Shoppers appreciate knowing more about you.
Future Updates
Check back in to this space often. You don’t need to follow a link. Just navigate to http://www.FarmMarketeer.com
Small Bills
- This season in particular will be ALL ABOUT small bills.
- I will have a healthy supply at the beginning of the Market . . . BUT NOT FOR YOU!
- I will break down customer bills into singles so they can give you exact change.
- That way, ALL CASH WILL TRAVEL IN ONE DIRECTION!
- (You can hold that money in a bank bag for a couple days if it makes you feel safer.)
Flexible Site Plan
Changes will continue to occur throughout the season as vendors come and go and as we learn more about how neighbors interact. I remind you no spaces are ever guaranteed and require your cooperation if I have to move your location any given week.
THANK YOU
David Hodges, Market Director
Home Office (856) 854-8385
Market Day Cell Phone (856) 979-6653
mthollymarket@davidhodges.com
Farm Marketeer 