Farmers' markets are a familiar and growing part of the summer scene in Western New York. WBFO's Mike Desmond visited a North Buffalo market on Thursday that featured organic products from a farm once owned by Roycroft founder Elbert Hubbard.
Arden Farm in East Aurora is an organic farm now owned by Hubbard's great-grandson. Business was so good yesterday Zach Dunevitz closed down the Arden stand in the Holy Spirit Church parking lot early because all of the vegetables had been sold.
The market at Holy Spirit runs on a different schedule than many other farmers' markets. It's open on Thursday afternoons, targeting people coming home from work, and people looking for something really fresh close to dinner time.
Dunevitz says one big benefit of farmers' markets is the face-to-face interaction with customers. "They're very important, you know. First and foremost, it gets us that connection to the customer. We're able to sell directly from our farm right to the customers, and they can see where the food's coming from," he said. "There's no middle man involved. So, you know, I think it's definitely important in staying in connection to the community."
Dunevitz says markets like this give farms a chance to meet their customers, something most of the vendors at this particular market agree with. It can also give stands like Jolie's Chinese Traditional Food a chance to market their existence to customers who may never have visited Jolie's home operation in Horsefeathers on Connecticut Street.
