Appendix 9:
Farmers Market Considerations

There are various models for creating and operating farmers markets. Some states (for instance, North Carolina and South Carolina) support and operate regional markets. The Asheville, North Carolina farmers market is an example. The State of Tennessee does not own or underwrite the operation of farmers markets. Tennessee has almost 50 farmers markets, serving its various cities and counties. There are no plans at the state level to develop or operate a regional market system. Some cities, like Seattle and Nashville, have several local markets. Both cities have a centrally located market in or near downtown and additional neighborhood or community-serving markets. Nashville’s Bicentennial Mall farmers market is Tennessee’s best example of a self-sustaining market. Its year-round, climate-controlled pavilion contains facilities for perishable, ethnic and cooked foods, providing an anchor for other goods that are sold at the market.

The scale and operational hours of markets varies widely. The Columbia market, which is South Carolina’s regionally centered facility, is built on a 53 acre tract of land. On the other hand, such urban locations as Nashville’s Bicentennial Mall can be contained within relatively small space. Such urban markets are opened virtually year-round and on a day-to-day basis.

Farmers markets should not be conceived with the sentiment: “build it and they will come.” This can be said about potential customers as well as farmers who wish to sell produce. Various factors, including the location of the market relative to the population base, the travel behavior the population base (relative to other the farmers markets and commercial enterprises) and the hours and seasons of operation, are all important.

Farmers can be quickly priced out of a market if the rents for space are high. Farmers Market space cannot be priced as retail space. In Tennessee the typical rates for a stall in a farmers market are $10-$15 per day. Such rates are critical to the participation of farmers. In view of this factor, public management of the farmers market is recommended. One scenario which should be considered is to grant management responsibility to the Knox County Parks and Recreation Department and to create a board that is composed of participating farmers and special event coordinators to advise the county on its operation. The board would determine rates for use of facilities, operational parameters and types of events.

It is clear from the sentiments of those who participated in the public meetings that there is a desire to continue a farmers market at the current East County site. Stanley Trout, the State Department of Agriculture farmers market liaison, noted that the East County farmers market has had a strong following, greater than most markets in the state in terms of its customers and interested farmers.

As to the future market, its scale and locational relationship to potential customers are two important factors. The commercial development of the property is likely to bring in customers that will buy conventional retail goods as well as farm produce. This advantage is also inherent to other sites in Knox County (for example, a farmers market could be located in west Knox County as well). The scale of a market in relation to potential customers should be further explored. Rather than this be conceived as Knox County’s only farmers market, it would be prudent to consider this site as one among other community-based markets. Given the population and buying power in west Knox County, another similarly scaled market “out west” may merit discussion. (One of the best returns to local farmers are the sales of produce to households which come to the market regularly as opposed to selling to resale interests or those people buy in bulk to can produce.) Similarly, with revitalization downtown, a central market could be another consideration. These community-based markets, in contrast to one regional market, should be further explored.

There are four basic elements that should be included in the design of the farmers market. First, there should be sheds for the sale of local produce. Second, there should be the potential to accommodate an air conditioned facility for the sale of such perishables such as poultry products. Third, there should another shed for the sale of resale products (that is, the sale of produce by those who purchase from out-of-state or local producers). By providing resale products, the variety of produce is increased as are the seasons so that more customers are attracted to the market over longer periods of time. The fourth element is common space whereby the market can have multipurpose functions and a greater variety of programming (for example, community events that can take place while the market is open or beyond the regular hours of the market).

Source: MPC staff consulted Stanley Trout of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Neal Denton of the University of Tennessee Extension Service in deriving this information. Various Internet sites regarding the operation of state and local farmers markets were also reviewed.