Off to Market                                                   Spotlight on Local Farmer's Markets

by Amber Isak of Whats Up Magazine

“watermelons! only $2! fresh peaches! pick them yourself!”
A war is waged every Saturday morning as vendors compete for your attention (and money) at the Soulard Farmer’s Market.

Public markets are where Starbucks brewed its first latte, yet they are also places where city dwellers have access to fresh meats and produce. On any given morning, you will come across hundreds of people who come to the Soulard Market from all around the metro St. Louis area, part of a centuries-old tradition.

History of the Market

In 1838, Julia Cerre Soulard donated two undeveloped half-blocks of her real estate to the city of St. Louis with the stipulation that the donated property by used in perpetuity as a public marketplace, otherwise the land would be reclaimed by her heirs. Since then, the Market has lived a storied life. As Jay Gibbs writes in a history of the market: “The first structure was built on the site in 1843 by a private joint venture of farmers/vendors, who sold shares to build a one-story red brick building on the eastern side of the two half blocks. During the Civil War years the local military commander declared martial law throughout the city. The grounds of Soulard Market were pressed into duty as a military encampment of pro-Union guards, charged with enforcing martial law. Since then the market has had a long and varied history, through tornado damage, urban beautification during the “City Beautiful” movement of 1909-11, the construction of a new building in 1928-29, the threat of demolition for new development, decline into slum conditions, and comeback beginning in the 1970s.”
 

These days, Market Manager Sandra Zak holds down the fort in a corner office of the inner Market facility. As Market Manager, she is in charge of leasing, marketing, customer and vendor relations…and everything in between. The morning of the “Freedom Festival” (formerly Bastille Day), being held in the space next to the Market, a particularly strong wind was blowing smells of diesel from a generator towards the Market and Zak had to remedy it. When someone parks their car where it’s not supposed to be and things start backing up, she is on the scene. When a customer stops by to ask where she can find fresh fish, Zak politely replies, “Check out the third stand on this wing with the coolers on the right side.”
 

With close to 100 vendors, a person can always find fresh meats and produce (as well as spices, baked goods, flowers, clothing, and other novelties), but in actuality, only about 20 vendors grow their own goods locally. Approximately 30 supplement their own produce with goods from produce row, and about 50 stands sell only goods from produce row. Produce row is where grocery stores purchase the fruits and vegetables they sell, and the more you buy, the cheaper it is. Vendors at the Market are able to buy in bulk and then sell to the public. Zak explains the high number of “produce row-only” stands by the fact that Missouri is not a large fruit-producing state, with the exception of melons and peaches. However, these stands may also benefit other local farmers.
 

“Many farmers who would supplement from produce row may also supplement their stand with goods from local farmers who don’t want to set up their own stand,” Zak explains. “These farmers are stretched to the max with working on their farm and they can’t open up a stand at Soulard Market.”
 

The reality of modern-day farming doesn’t allow for much time to sell the goods that are produced on the farm, but that does not stop Zak from attempting to draw them to the Market. She sends letters out to farmers as well as attends farming conventions in an effort to draw new vendors to the Market. For most vendors, however, coming to the Market is a tradition - 40 families have been coming to the market for 40 years or more, and among these vendors, there is a definite sense of community.
 

“We have a couple vendors who have been around for 100 years - the Schrader family has some family photo albums and it’s really quite amazing when you see (how it was 100 years ago),” Zak says. “Their farm is in St. Louis County - when you think about it, that there is still farmland in St. Louis County… it really is unbelievable. I think about them coming in on their horse and wagon. John Jr. and Sr. (Schrader) both operate booths - John Jr. married the daughter of another farmer at the market, the Siegler family. They met and fell in love and now they have their own farm while their parents are both still farming as well.”
Although the cost of being a vendor has increased over the years, it is still one of the best entrepreneurial bargains in town: for just the first time in 10 years, there was a rent increase which raised the yearly lease to $1,150 a year which averages out to just $22 a week. Daily renters pay $10 per day or $20 per Saturday for a daily permit. All that is required is a St. Louis City business retail license, registration with the state, and a tax ID. Yet these qualifications do not guarantee becoming a vendor.
 

“People who shop here are constantly coming in and asking ‘Hey, what does it take to have a booth here?’ Everyone here thinks they make the best ‘fill-in-the-blank’ - the problem is, they may not be in the business of making prepared foods. You can’t make and sell cakes at the market; they must be prepared in a licensed kitchen. Others are unrealistic and are disappointed to not make $1,000 a day,” Zak says.
But most vendors have been successful, which keeps them coming back. Black Bear Bakery came to the Soulard Market because they don’t have UPC codes which therefore prohibit them from selling their bread in grocery stores. Jill Mead, an employee of two years says, “We sell a lot here and it helps us gain entry into a market that we otherwise couldn’t afford. It’s also a good social place that functions as a meeting place outside the bakery - we have our highest sales here every week.”
 

Changing Times

Soulard Market is not without its problems though. The city of St. Louis subsidizes the market because the vendor rent does not cover the operational costs. In addition, Zak is in charge of writing grants for improvements to the Market. Approximately three to four million dollars have come from the city and grants, but with the dismal economy, grant sources and city money have dried up.
 

“Four years ago there was an opportunity for a very large grant. We worked for two years to put a plan together and the vendors voted not to renovate the market because leases would have increased,” Zak says.
 

Therefore, renovations have been few and far between. One project that is moving forward is renovating the bathrooms. There was a special tax for parks and recreation and money received from that will allow for an elevator to the upstairs recreation space and the bathrooms will be a part of that addition.
 

“All the critical renovation that needs to be done is totally not sexy,” Zak laughs. “Electrical systems (over $1 million) were updated but the wings were not rewired. We need a new boiler because the one now is 75 years old. The renovation being done would never be noticed by the general public but we must take care of infrastructure before cosmetics.”
 

Another issue that the market must face is the changing tide of customers. “Crowds at the market are up and down,” Zak notes.

“Some vendors complain that business isn’t what it used to be in the olden days. Well, let’s talk about the olden days…most mothers stayed at home and people had larger families. Families are smaller and most mothers and fathers work today - there is not much shopping during the week. Fast food was unheard of, prepared food at the grocery store was unheard of, and TV dinners were a new sensation.
 

“Many of my friends don’t cook a lot. On the weekends they are shuffling their kids around. I ask my vendors, ‘How many meals did you cook this week?’ Other people are in the same boat. However, a lot of people are becoming more aware of nutrition and their health, and more people are realizing you must eat fresh, nutritious food to stay healthy.”
 

For P.J. Sharamitaro and his sister Jeannie Waters of Soulard Florist, they have learned to adapt to the changing needs of the customers. “We used to sell produce for 15-17 years and we were called Pete’s Produce (in reference to his father, who sold wholesale produce),” Sharamitaro says. However, they eventually shifted to a florist business to become more profitable. “For most people, this is a weekend market but we’re making it better here Wednesday and Thursday. It’s a new generation than it was 10-15 years ago - back then people came here at 7 a.m. Now they get here at 10,” he says.
 

But no matter what time people come, as the only public market in the St. Louis area, the Soulard Market has the distinction of drawing people from far and near. Other markets around town, including the market in the University City Loop, mostly cater to those that live in that community. For Jeff Thurmond and his wife of Bel Nor, the prices keep them coming back to Soulard. “We used to live a block away and would come here every weekend. We got great deals which are what keep us coming despite the fact that we live farther away now.” Zak adds, “We are very fortunate because customers come from throughout the St. Louis area. We’ll get people from Illinois, St. Charles, Florissant, Chesterfield, Washington (MO) - people are coming from all over because Soulard does have such a great reputation.”
 

Yet a significant customer base still resides in the city and the area surrounding the market. For many residents of urban areas, it is often difficult to find fresh fruits and vegetables. Another factor which makes the market more appealing is the fact that many stands accept food stamps and EBT cards. “The government has cut well over 33% of people from food stamps, so there are not as many food stamps available, but if you are on a limited budget, you can really stretch your food dollars here,” Zak notes.
 

Perhaps the most important aspect of the market is diversity; not of the fresh produce, meats, baked goods and other items, but of the people that come each week. Sharamitaro says he sees “all walks of life” at the market, and a trip through the 70-year old market building truly lets you feel like you are a part of history - coming to the market becomes not just a chore, but an event.
 

“I challenge you to find any other place in the metropolitan area…” Zak says. “It is the only place where people of every socio-economic group and every ethnicity come together. I see a family with their EBT cards exchanging recipes with some of the more prominent people in St. Louis. I challenge you to come up with another place that has such diversity. Everyone has to eat and what better place to come together than Soulard Market.”

The Soulard Market is located at 730 Carroll Street in downtown St. Louis and is open year round, Wednesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information about the Soulard Market or to check out what’s fresh at the market this week, check out http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/soulardmarket/index.html

Clayton Market: A Farmer’s Only Market

The Clayton Farmer’s Market is a true market for local farmers. No products can be brought in from out of state, and for this reason, many people, including local restaurateurs, use this as a substantial source for fresh, locally grown meat and produce. Every Saturday morning from May 12 until October 27, North Central Avenue in downtown Clayton is closed off and the vendors set up shop starting as early as 6 a.m. Julie Ridlon, the Clayton Farmer’s Market Master, proclaims it “strictly a ‘you sell it, you raise it’ market, in the heart of an upscale downtown area that has limited Saturday morning traffic.” The driving force behind the Clayton market has been Ridlon, who from April through August 2000 along with chef Ed Neill, worked on organizing the market. After a series of cooking demonstrations at Soulard Market by the local chapter of Chef’s Collaborative proved that few people recognized the difference between locally-grown produce and that from produce row, Ridlon realized there was a need to show the public what local farmers had to offer. “The mission statement for Chef’s Collaborative is supporting local sustainable agriculture and educating ourselves and the public about clean and healthy eating practices,” Ridlon says. “To help save the wonderful resource of locally grown, farm-fresh produce, I concluded that if the public were made aware of the quality of products ‘our’ farmers produce, they couldn’t help but buy their products and keep them in business,” Ridlon said.
 

Since its inception, the Clayton Market has done well and continues to grow. For Lizzie McPheeters of Bowood Farms, a farm in Clarksville that specializes in naturally raised bison, this is her first experience at the Clayton market. “We just want to have exposure and we like the small scale. Many restaurants buy goods from Clayton and we’re trying to get into that market.” But the Clayton Market has become more than just a collection of vendors - people milling about the market are welcomed with acoustic guitar music playing from a local sidewalk café and there are often special events and demonstrations. As an educational market, some local chefs prepare meals with products from the market while others give tours of the market discussing different ways to prepare produce. There is a beverage booth with organically-grown coffee and an omelet booth with omelets made from fresh produce and eggs. Also, each week a farmer speaks about his growing practices. “Not only are we educating the public on how to prepare fresh local seasonal foods, but our farmers are networking with a variety of chefs and developing a wholesale relationship,” Ridlon says.
 

For these local farmers, the Clayton Farmer’s Market has been a successful venture. “There are regulars that are here at 8 a.m. [when the market opens] every Saturday who make this their regular market and don’t shop in the grocery stores,” McPheeters says. “It is a peaceful atmosphere with the music and several restaurants have gotten into it and started opening earlier to serve breakfast.”

The Market at Forest Park Southeast: A Community Affair

The newest market in town, the Market at Forest Park Southeast, opened on June 21st at the Adams Center parking lot. Market Coordinator Brooks Goedeker says there were two reasons for starting the market: first, as is common in many urban neighborhoods, there were few outlets for fresh produce and secondly, as an effort to bring the community together. The market was made possible by a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a UPS-funded foundation which provides money for programs serving families, children and communities.
 

“We let the neighborhoods decide what they wanted to do with the money,” Goedeker said. “They decided a market would be the best idea. We want people to be able to start or own their own businesses and bring business into the community. A lot of people want to become entrepreneurs but don’t know how or have the money so this is a way to help get some retail off the ground. We also wanted it to be a place where people could get together and talk every Saturday to bring the neighborhood closer together.”
 

The market has seen growth over the months and that is due in large part to an initial advertising campaign. Signs were put up on the streets surrounding the community and there were advertisements in the Riverfront Times and several other city journals. Although some people are coming from outside Forest Park Southeast, most visitors and vendors are from the community. There have been about 15 regular vendors that come each Saturday, but Goedeker would eventually like to see 25 or more vendors each week. Crafts are welcomed and although a high percentage of goods are from produce row, there is an effort to establish a stand with produce from the local community gardens. In achieving the goal of making the market a truly community event, Goedeker hopes to soon have radio stations or talent shows at the market. “Currently we have dancers and other public performers combining for the festive atmosphere,” he says.
 

Studies have shown that urban markets can be successful methods of revitalizing communities. “People are very supportive of it and hopefully it will go on for years to come,” Goedeker says. “It starts with small things like this - bringing the city and the community together and going from there.”

________________________________________________
amber isak works at the Washington Univeristy School of Medicine. She regularly visits farmer’s markets around the region.

 

PLEASE BUY FROM OUR HOMELESS VENDORS ON THE STREETS