We get by with a little help…
Every week we finish set up for the market mere moments before it opens. The line to enter the market wraps all around Lippitt Park, and we are grateful to those who are willing to stand in line for the products of local businesses like ours. The bell rings and we are off and running—usually three solid hours of non-stop customers streaming through our line before we can pause for a moment and catch our breath.
Farming was already risky business before the COVID-19 pandemic. Disaster is inevitable in this profession, and Michele has encountered and navigated a full spectrum of forces working against the productivity of the farm over the years. But this is the first global pandemic of an airborne virus for Zephyr Farm. The virus has affected every choice she makes this season; choosing what to plant, how much help to hire, how to package and distribute our products, and how to operate our stand at the Hope Street Farmers Market each Saturday.
We are learning a lot this season. We are trying new approaches constantly. Every week we try to improve the way we organize for the farmers market. In years past, she easily managed our stand with three workers. This year we need six workers to accommodate COVID protocols to keep everyone safe. Spatial restrictions limit the number of customers we are able to serve, so we have double the labor force and we are not able to sell as much product. We see customers walk away because they can’t wait in line.
You can help everyone at the farmers market, including us, by ordering online. We wish everyone could pick up at our farm on Fridays, which is totally contact-less and definitely our preference. If you can’t make it to us during our posted pickup hours of 9am - 1pm, you can let us know what time you CAN come on Friday and we will make accommodations. Use the comments box during checkout to let us know.
When you pre-order and pick up at the farmers market on Saturday, you help ease the pressure for everyone there. You can skip our line and head straight to the checkout area, which minimizes our line. Pre-ordering also gives you access to our products before they sell out. That means you can order on your own time from home and come to the market later and you don’t have to worry about missing out on our most popular items. It’s a great solution if you don’t particularly enjoy the fast-paced, forward-only flow of the market during COVID times. And also if you like sleeping in on Saturday.
We are not the only market business offering online pre-orders. You can shop many Hope St Farmers Market Vendors and sweep through to pick everything up on Saturday from 9-1. Your participation in this system is a huge help for the vendors, the market organizers, and the other customers. The more you pre-order, the less EVERYONE has to stand in line.