Hamilton Farmers' Market & Central Library | ? | 6 fl | Complete

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by Jon Dalton

Try opening wednesdays - revenues up 20% just like that.

Is there a reason why Wednesdays are not a Market day? A decision made years ago?

Also wondering if more real farmers have been encouraged to have a market stall. They could sell year-round, given that root vegetables are stored after picking.

[thistleclub]

It seems like most farmers’ markets are only open two or three days a week, and in recent years the proliferation of local farmers’ markets has doubtless influenced the economics of stallholders and market managers. As well, if vendors can network successfully and rationalize driving into Toronto (as, say, Plan B Organics does), they can often make much more money for their troubles, and broaden their exposure in the bargain.

In the GHA, the Ancaster Farmers Market and Burlington Farmers Market are both open seasonally on Wednesdays, and the Ottawa Street Farmers Market was running seasonally on Wednesdays until this summer (it’s now just Saturdays year-round, whereas in the Centre Mall era, it was running Fri/Sat year-round plus seasonal Wednesdays). The BFM and OSFM have been going since 1960 and 1955 respectively; the current HFM site was first occupied in 1980, so maybe their schedules were a consideration.

Star alumnus The Barn (which operated at Hess/Barton 1970-1983, then Hess & York 1983-2002) may have also played a role.

Nations Fresh is, I’m sure, complicating things.

[Jon Dalton]

I suppose traditional farmers markets were based on actual farmers bringing their goods to town once a week, which made sense. They also had farming to do, and other ways to reach customers. Maybe the wednesday off is now needed to go to the Ontario Food Terminal to restock. Still, I'd expect any business in trouble to look at potential new revenue. When you're open 4 days a week, it just looks like there's low hanging fruit there.

[oldcoote]

I strongly feel the vendors need to be more than butchers/veggie stands. They need to put a little creativity into their presentation.

I'd like to see more prepared foods for quick lunches or take home dinners. (I would love it if someone offered shish-ka-bobs)

I'd like to see more local.

I'd like to see some inventive merchandising.

They need to be the anti-supermarket.

[matt602]

I find ironic how hard we were all pushing to get a supermarket downtown a year or two ago, now one is here and we're using terms such as "anti-supermarket" and trying to figure out how to compete against it. I guess it's a catch 22... we needed the downtown grocery store to promote residential growth downtown but it came at the expense of the farmers market.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Well, frankly, the Farmer's Market is like a really sh*tty supermarket that's, like, never open.

I used to be so protective of it but my feeling these days is that it needs to totally reinvent itself or just close up shop once and for all.

Be a farmer's market already!

[durandy]

I blame the renovation, sucked the life out of the place. The design looked great in pictures but has worked horribly in practice.

[Pearlstreet]

It will get worse as competition of Co-op Mustard Seed comes into play nearby. They have the local angle covered.

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by Pearlstreet

It will get worse as competition of Co-op Mustard Seed comes into play nearby. They have the local angle covered.

If that’s true- I admit I hadn’t thought of that possibility- then the City handed out money to a business which will harm the City-subsidized farmers’ market. That doesn’t seem like a smart use of funds.

Very good point that matt made: we were clamoring for a supermarket downtown (and even willing to subsidize that hugely with tax dollars, too), and now the municipal government is wringing its hands because it’s competing with the farmers’ market. Maybe the City should involve themselves less with these issues.

Re: opening hours. I’ve gone on a weekday at 5:30 or quarter to six a few times to find some vendors closing up early and no longer ready to do business. So, I agree, looking at the posted opening hours would suggest that there’s an easy opportunity to open an extra one or two days a week, or stay open later some evenings. But, if there’s no one interested, expanded opening hours just more expenses.

[coalminecanary]

The obvious solution here is to make the market physically smaller (and more inviting) and then be much more selective about stalls. The era of food terminal resale in the farmers market is clearly over. The sooner the market director and stallholders recognize that, the better.

What if the bottom floor was leased to a restaurant - something like marchee in toronto - and the farmers market itself was just on the perimeter looking down - and including the space behind the glass facing york (which is horribly underutilized - that space should be bursting with market goodness instead of being mostly barren with 2 prepared food stalls). Make people walk past the market stalls to get to the restaurant.

[Pearlstreet]

The competition would get worse short term, new massive condo projects and a (hopefully) sudden influx of people living downtown, I feel it should survive. It's in the growing pains we must endure I suppose. Hamilton cannot all grow at the same rate. I walk around the core daily and it feels a little bit empty, it just needs patrons

[mattgrande]

Council: 0% rental increase for stall holders in 2014.

[thistleclub]

Hamilton Farmers Market still getting squeezed
(Hamilton Mountain News, Kevin Werner, Dec 4 2013)

Nearly two years after Hamilton spent nearly $9 million to renovate the Hamilton Farmers Market, stallholders are complaining the problems are worse than ever.

Ron Jepson, of Jepson’s Fresh Meats, a third-generation vendor at the market, says they are nearing the breaking point, calling the entire situation a mess, as vendors talk about leaving the facility.

He said the renovations, which he acknowledged were needed to improve an aging building, also eliminate the free-flowing movements of customers, removed a needed banner identifying where the market is located, and wiped out the free parking.

He challenged councillors during the Dec. 4 general issues committee meeting there are about 10 vendor spaces open where prior to construction there was a waiting list for people to move in. Jepson said there has been some talk of other vendors possibly leaving because of the poor business. They say sales are down 50 per cent.

Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins, a member of the Hamilton Farmers Market subcommittee, remained frustrated at how the situation is evolving. Even after spending nearly $7 million to renovate the 175-year-old market in 2011, and another $2 million to relocate the market in Jackson Square during the renovations, “one of the largest investments” the city has made, there are still problems, said Collins.

“You are no further ahead with your business,” said Collins.

Jepson said there was a conflict in “vision” between what the stallholders wanted and the ideas that city staff had in store.

For instance, an outdoor market set up outside York Boulevard in front of the market entrance, that was promoted by staff stopped traffic to the market, he said.

[thistleclub]

Ailing market council's favourite patient
(Hamilton Spectator, Andrew Dreschel, Dec 6 2013)

If a visitor from outer space or even out of town had seen the way Hamilton councillors were tripping over each other to please Ron Jepson, they could be forgiven for thinking he was exerting some kind of hypnotic power over them.

The owner and operator of Jepson's Fresh Meat at stall No. 1 in the downtown farmers' market had been elected by the other vendors to plead their case for some immediate help for the financially precarious indoor market.

Jepson, who hails from Hagersville, is a tall man with a deep rural tinged voice and plain manner of speaking.

He may be an unlikely Svengali, but in no time flat, he had councillors eating out of his big, capable-looking hands.

Free validated parking? No problem, we'll see what we can do as fast as can be.

New signage so customers can actually find where the York Boulevard market is located? What can we do about it, staff? 'Well, we're hoping to have a couple of permanent street signs in place by the end of the year'. See it done, see it done. And let's look at some new banners, too.

Freeze stallholder rental rates for the year? What's that cost us? About $9,500? No big deal.

From whence came this mysterious power that Jepson and his fellow delegate, Shane Coleman, president of the stallholders' association, were suddenly wielding?

Time and timing.

Vendors have been looking for relief since the market reopened in February 2012 after an extensive 20-month renovation, now all but universally recognized as a flop. Instead of reinvigorating the place, the reno turned it into a cramped, sterile incubator for pessimism....

The well-worn complaints may previously have fallen on sympathetic ears, but this is the first time they were treated like hot action items. That's because councillors know that a staff report from John Hertel, director of enterprise management and revenue generation, basically validates what vendors have been saying all along.


Read it in full here.

[markbarbera]

Has the moment finally come when the crowd will hush and hear the small child as she points and shouts out "Emperor Premi has no clothes!"

[bluevue]

I don't personally use the market all that often due to where I live and work. The last few times I had been there, I was disappointed to see that it was grossly a re-sale of vegetables from the Ontario Food Terminal. There is a lack of actual farmers or producers there to encourage me to go there more often as it is. I would not permit the stall holders to blame Nations for dumping money into the core and taking a leap at bringing people downtown to shop. I do not blame the lack of free parking on my use of the market at all. Hamilton parking is cheap and there is a lot of it. That said, there is also plenty of free parking if people just got out of their cars and walked a few blocks (are we not trying to encourage people to walk and bike more anyway and make this city more liveable without cars anyway? I certainly hope that this validated parking turns people back to the market. Parking is cheap to begin with, so treat it as a luxury that you wouldn't get in another city to encourage you to shop. By the way...where have all these people gone to get their produce if the numbers are down as much as reported...Fortino's or Food Basics etc? What drives them there..prices or free parking? I say Privatize the thing, and it may encourage more innovation in what is being offered, if not a lot of re-sellers will simply not renew. Maybe a craft brewery in the middle or something...just saying! Not sure what the solution is, but the city should put together a vision on the longevity of their involvement as I don't think this is an item that promotes community building (re-selling non-local produce). If it fails, others will thrive in its place that want to return to the true farmers' market meaning.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

It's hardly the architect's fault - the market's been broken for years.

[Pearlstreet]

Intended to visit the market today, sat and had a bite at Nations. ...It was delicious!

[Katrillion]

I don't think the market is working well because no one walks along this area of downtown. It's not a destination street like James Street N.

Also, I think they should've installed those huge sliding doors that can open up the glass wall so people can easily come and go.

[ScreamingViking]

The signage needs to be there. I agree with that. I also agree that the city shouldn't be managing the market.

But the market has been in the same space since what.. the early 80s? And in the same part of town for much much longer.

I don't think this is an issue of people not knowing where to find it, or the updated space not working. I think it's an issue of the market needing to provide better value to customers, and now that Nations Fresh is around the market stall holders need to up their game.

Having more people living downtown in all these new/planned developments will help, though that will take time. But I think the businesses that call the market home need to realize they're not the only game downtown now - they need to develop strong niches, and they need to connect better with their customers.