What's With the Location of the Decatur Organic Farmer's Market?
Decatur Metro | September 16, 2008Oakie writes in…
As a newbie to the area, I am confused as to why the farmers market in Decatur is held in the rather unsightly parking lot near BofA rather than on the town square? Is this a parking or permit issue?
This is something I’ve often asked myself too. And I’m sure there’s a reason, I just don’t know or forgot what it is.
If it wasn’t for the internet or word-of-mouth, someone could go years living in Decatur and never realize that the weekly farmer’s market even exists. Unlike Morningside, which really is forced to use a parking lot for its farmer’s market due to lack of options, Decatur does indeed have a central greenspace for such things. So why is it currently sitting on the precipice of raging Commerce Drive?
Oh and while we’re on this thread, I’d love it if they stayed open ’til 8p in the summer.
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They used to be on the square before the construction.
It’s the standard age-old retail drivers: street visibility and parking perceptions. The first few iterations of the farmers’ market actually were on the square but they could never make a go of it. The owner of Our Way Cafe tried for a while to get something going a number of years ago and then, I believe, the current iteration was originally on the square as well, before the construction.
Farmers Markets need to be volume operations to make each stall’s travel and time off the field worth it. Even though the current location suffers for all the reasons you mention, it does offer the two most important components of volume sales: visibility and ease of access.
I’ve always thought that when Bank of America’s suburban spaceship block is finally sold off for redevelopment, the city should incentivize the developer to include a real facility, covered with individual stalls, along the Church side. That could do a lot to re-energize that stretch of Church, which has suffered for a long time, and bring a lot more dignity to our FM.
Or how about just putting a co-op over there? 8)
So the take away is that even though we tend to think that Decatur has a pretty dense downtown, it can’t even support a weekly farmer’s market? And instead, the farmer’s market has to rely on resident and non-resident car commuters that stop on the way home from work?
If it moved in 2005 when the MARTA plaza construction began, that’s definitely before the Artisan and 335 W Ponce right? What about the Renaissance? Maybe it would do better today.
I always thought the vacant building in Oakhurst, where Mulligans Tavern use to be, would be a great place to put in a co-op.
Well, I guess Hello hasn’t read up on this forum enough to realize that we decided along time ago that’s where Trader Joe’s needs to go…
(I always wanted to pipe up in defense of that strip’s owner that I was once told by the Candler Park Market’s owners that he lobbied them to open there as well). It seems, by and large, commenters on this board consider Decatur to be the square mile or so around the square and Oakhurst secondarily.
My wife and I used to frequent the Farmer’s market when it was on the square and I recall it seemed haphazard, unorganized and had strange hours, like Wednesday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. It would be great to see them back on the square early Saturday morning, when most of the other FMs occur.
Does anyone know who one would talk with to see if it could be moved? Presumably someone from Decatur gov’t? (of course, it would be worth asking the farmers/folks with stalls, too!)
Oakie, here’s some info to get you started. Good luck.
“DFM is in the process of achieving non-profit status. When this is accomplished (likely, for the start of 2009) an advisory board will be created. Until then, all decisions will be made jointly by the market founder and manager, Greg Coleson and Lauren Justice, respectively.
Contact: Lauren Justice (404) 245-8589, “
The Wednesday time is later in the afternoon – 4 – 6 pm maybe – definitely not 1-3 pm.
It was my understanding that the Wednesday time helped get a good group of merchants to attend. I know some of the currents sellers are already committed to other markets on Saturday mornings.
To me the important thing about the Organic Market is the quality of the goods sold . I’ve never worried about whether the location is unsightly. As long as the location is relatively clean and veggies and flowers look good , why complain ?
fifi…I believe Mike was talking about the operation times when the market used to be up on the Square before the MARTA plaza construction. Not its current hours.
And indeed quality of goods is paramount…but accessibility and a more bucolic atmosphere might help improve sales. If the Market does a great business in the Bank of America parking lot, more power to them. But if they moved and haven’t been back to the square since the city added to its density…a clamor to have them return to the Square, might be feedback they’d like to hear.
Hey what about around the base of the 315 building? I think it would be totally groovy under those big trees.
the square feels bucolic ? really ? I guess it is the aroma of that ginko tree when it is in season.
anyway to the organic market owners if you are reading – I am glad you are close by . thanks for putting on the market . I will continue to buy your produce – suburban spaceship block or bucolic atmosphere on the square…. it doesn’t matter to me.
I say leave it where it is. Not all of us who live in Decatur and patronize this market work on the square and we need to have a convenient place to park and shop on the way home. If it is moved to the square, many customers will not go through the hassle of trying to find a place to park, find a quarter for the meter, walk the extra distance, etc.
I don’t think anyone would argue that you’re wrong, Fifi. Clearly, whether or not something works for you personally is an important consideration. However, I’d counter that, in a real town and not just some disconnected suburb, the consumerist view (which sadly, in America, has come to be viewed as synonymous with citizenship), doesn’t take us far enough.
Yes, the FM is working in terms of convenience and food quality and support of local food networks and those are all good, even great, things. But such markets also have other potential and opportunities that may not be being fully realized. For example, when they’re located in a better pedestrian space, people have a tendency to linger more (rather than simply viewing the process as a drive in, quick pick-up, drive out experience). Such lingering leads to longer conversations or increased chance meetings, which provide real social and civic value. In the ‘burbs, social connections don’t often extend all that far beyond those made at the subdivision pool or the elementary PTA but in a compact town of 20,000 people, they’re the lifeblood of our government, independent businesses and charity exercised locally. Many communities have found well situated FMs to contribute greatly in this regard.
To be clear, I’m *not* saying that such connections aren’t happening at the current location. I’m saying that place matters and that they may not currently be meeting their *full* potential.
There’s also the idea of local, economic interdependencies. Right now, the FM is at a largely dead intersection in the parking lot of a global corporation. This may be for reasons of both customer convenience and logistics (again, both good things) but it doesn’t reach its full potential in aiding our local economy. In the right location, an FM can act as a solid “co-anchor” to indie businesses, where there’s potential for their respective customer bases to feed each other. Believe me, I’m all for supporting local agriculture (I’m a happy CSA shareholder) but I also believe in supporting local business. At the level of town, both are vital enterprises.
DM and Oakie, correct me if I’m misrepresenting you, but I guess my question to Fifi would be: If it’s possible to continue serving the customers, farmers and market organizers effectively, but also find ways to serve our greater community and local businesses, why would we not want to do that?
I get the concept of why it would be great to move the market to the Square but I am not sure the reality would match the vision.
I’d like to think the organizers are doing the best job they can do. As I understand it, the market on the Square didn’t do that well – the Square renovation wasn’t the only reason for the location change. Most market customers don’t walk – they drive. Parking around the Square is (perceived at least ) to be a pain.
Each week the current market brings life to an unsightly, largely dead intersection. Residents have an opportunity to buy wonderful produce from local farmers. Those customers who choose to walk can access the location by sidewalk from all directions travelling only one block beyond the Square. Those who want to drive have easy access off Commerce and Church St and free parking.
Could the market do more to serve the greater community ? Maybe but I choose to see the glass as half full.
All good, Fifi, so long as seeing the glass half full doesn’t put you in opposition to anyone taking a stab at topping it off ;^)
One note: your comments re: the viability of the square as an alternate location are absolutely true. I’m more of the mind that we might be able to find a better location overall than the current one but, for exactly the reasons you mention, I don’t think the square will ultimately be it.
Veg on!
Scott-
Looks like we are pretty close in our opinions after all.
I hope this market can thrive and grow. Long term dream – it grows so much that it evolves to a co-op.
For now , I’ll be happy if I can get a spot for next year in a CSA of one of the market farms !
Does it really matter where it’s located? Isn’t the most important thing that people support it. It’s still in Downtown Decatur, it has parking and it has ease of access. Folks jump thru hoops to get to places they want to patronize. This one is pretty easy to access.
I think the bigger issue is people actually shopping there.
Folks in Decatur say they want local, organic, easy to walk to shops and restaurants; however, we don’t have the density to support all of them. So ultimately folks have to make choices. Is the Decatur Farmers Market one of the choices? That’s the question.
We can make 1 million excuses of how it can be better, but if folks wanted to support it, there would be no barrier to making it a success.