Griffin’s Great and Growing Farmers’ Market opens this
morning in a new location – the former Taylor Street Middle School parking lot
on the corner of Fourth and Taylor streets – with officials hoping this new
venue will increase the participation of shoppers and vendors, alike.
Kira Harris=Bragg, director of Griffin’s Main Street
Program, said the change was made after organizers listened to feedback from
community members and vendors who felt the prior location – the city parking
garage on Solomon Street – was not the ideal location for an open-air market.
“In this location, there is a covered walkway and plenty of
parking,” Harris-Bragg said. “It’s a more accessible and visible space and
that’s really what we’re looking forward to. On the whole, I think it’s going
to be very positive to be in this location.”
To date, 30 vendors have submitted applications to
participate in this year’s Farmers’ Market, but it should be noted that not all
vendors will be present for each week’s market.
“We never know who’s going to be there from week to week,”
Harris-Bragg said. “That’s actually a good thing because it gives a great
measure of diversity. Hopefully, it will also keep people coming back from week
to week because they’ll never know what will be there.”
And increasing participation, Harris-Bragg said, is one of
her primary goals for the Farmers’ Market.
“We want to bring people into our community, but we really
want to change peoples’ mindset to shop locally, to purchase locally-grown
produce,” she said. “We want people who live in Griffin and are from Griffin to
support this local market. If there’s anything I want to stress, it’s to ask
the community to please start supporting what’s here. It might start off small,
but if the people come, it will grow.”
In addition to local produce, baked goods, honey, jams and
jellies and country gifts, those attending this year’s market will also have
access to extensive gardening information from highly-knowledgeable volunteers.
“This year, we will have volunteer managers who are working
towards obtaining master gardener status,” Harris-Bragg said.
Griffin’s Great and Growing Farmers’ Market will be held
from 9 a.m. to noon, directly across from the old Coca Cola building on Taylor
Street.
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