Over the past several months, I’ve received many suggestions about how the Andover Community Farmers Market should be run. Some people have asked why the market isn’t on Saturday. Others have asked why I don’t allow craft vendors.
Since these questions continue to come up, I’d like to explain the philosophy behind the market.
Since taking on the responsibility of organizing the Andover Community Farmers Market, every decision I’ve made has come back to one simple question:
“Will this help local farmers and food producers succeed?”
That question has guided every decision I’ve made, and it will continue to do so.
That is why the market is held on Friday.
Within our region there is one farmers market on Wednesday, one on Thursday, Andover on Friday, four on Saturday, and two on Sunday. There are only so many farmers and food producers serving our area, and many have spent years building relationships with those established Saturday markets.
If I moved the Andover market to Saturday, we wouldn’t suddenly have more farmers. We would simply be asking them to leave markets where they’ve already built a customer base and made long-term commitments. Most wouldn’t—and I wouldn’t expect them to.
People often see farmers standing behind a table for a few hours each week. What they don’t always see are the days of work that happen before the market opens: planting, harvesting, caring for livestock, washing produce, making jams, collecting eggs, packaging products, loading vehicles, setting up, selling, tearing down, and then starting all over again. Friday allows many of them to participate in Andover without competing directly with four established Saturday markets. That wasn’t a decision based on convenience—it was a decision based on listening to the people that make this market possible.
The same philosophy explains why this farmers market is not a general vendor or craft market.
There are many wonderful craft shows and artisan events throughout our region, and they deserve our support. But this market was created to give farmers and food producers a place where they are the focus. I believe our community deserves a market where people know they can come specifically for locally grown and locally produced food.
I understand that some people would rather shop on Saturday or would enjoy seeing craft vendors. Those are perfectly reasonable preferences. But my responsibility is to build a market that gives farmers and food producers the best opportunity to succeed—not simply to create the event that appeals to the widest audience.
While these conversations are taking place, there is also important work happening behind the scenes. Through Healthy Roots Community, we are working toward bringing SNAP, WIC, and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program to the Andover Community Farmers Market. Those efforts take planning, partnerships, and persistence, but they reflect the reason this market exists: to strengthen our local food system and make fresh, locally produced food available to more people in our community.
The mission is simple: Supporting local farmers and food producers, strengthening our local food system, supporting our local businesses, and building a market that can grow and thrive for the benefit of the entire community.
Thank you to everyone who has supported that mission. I hope you’ll continue to stand with our farmers, our food producers, and the future of the Andover Small Business Community and the Andover Community Farmers Market.