Ferndale Farmers Market taking applicants for second year

FERNDALE — The Ferndale Farmers Market has begun accepting applications for this year’s market, which will start in the spring.

The Ferndale Farmers Market, which had its inaugural edition last year, will be accepting applications through March 15 from those who would like to take part as a vendor. The farmers market operates outside The Rust Belt Market in downtown Ferndale, where it also will be located again this year.

Michael Fraley, market manager for the Ferndale Farmers Market, didn’t think it was publicized as well as it could have been — through no fault of anyone — and that there were tighter restrictions on who could take part as a vendor.

“It was really looking for people who were producing goods within the city of Ferndale, which is really hard,” he said. “Like, you’re not going to find a veggie vendor in the city of Ferndale, more than likely. … No craft people or no arts people were allowed in last year, and so sometimes the pavilion area wouldn’t even be completely full of vendors. So if a customer comes and they want to see, like, six vendors and two of them are flowers and three are bakery goods, (they’re) probably not coming back.”

Fraley, owner of The Flower Project, previously helped organize farmers markets in Vermont and came to Rust Belt to offer to help with Ferndale’s market this year.

Fraley said it’s really important for the market this year to have a diversity of goods for people to shop, and to have the pavilion full.

“We hope to have lots of interesting and different vendors to bring in different kinds of products for people to shop and look at everything that’s going to be made locally here in Michigan,” he said. “So it’s going to be a big qualification. If you’re not growing it, if you’re not making it yourself, you don’t, unfortunately, have a place at the farmers market.”

The market is accepting applicants who produce anything from crafts, art, prepared products like honey and jam, vegetables, fruits and flowers.

The farmers market this year will kick off on Mother’s Day May 12 and run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every other Sunday until the end of September.

To apply for the Ferndale Farmers Market, visit this site.

Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Jennie Beeker stated that she loves it when someone in the downtown identifies a need or a demand for something and then figures out how to meet it.

“We have amazing grocers downtown, but I think that there’s a certain different aspect to people wanting to get a farmers market,” she said. “It’s something different. It’s great to be able to get whatever you want and need, like, right in downtown Ferndale. And so I think that bringing things like that, bringing attention to the downtown, shows people you know what amazing stuff we have here.”