The Rural Voice, 1990-08, Page 27western Ontario community, pop-
ulation 1,000. Directly across the
river is the full-service town of
Baudette, Minnesota. As a border
town, Rainy River has had to contend
with competition for food and gas
dollars and everything in between —
especially since the bridge toll was
eliminated. But Vicky Atkin, a major
organizer of the Rainy River Farmers'
Market, says, "Our market is the only
thing I've ever seen draw people from
Baudette to Rainy River; the flow of
traffic always goes the other way."
According to Vicky, getting the
word out is the key. "The biggest
thing for us is advertising. When you
live in such a small community, you
have to draw on a wider market. I
mean, we get half the town out and it
still isn't really lots of people! We
advertise in the Baudette newspaper
and on the Warroad (Minn.) radio
station, and the Fort Frances radio
station — so we're covering the
district from both sides. And it's
really beginning to help, because a
good percentage of our customers
are American."
Out of 14 vendors polled at the
Fort Frances and Rainy River farm-
ers' markets, ten emphasized variety
as being essential to the success of
the venture. If a farmers' market is
a vast buffet spread out for the cus-
tomer, variety is the table on which
it all rests.
"Variety is the big thing," says
Terril Pentney, maker of Earth
Things Pottery and a vendor at the
Clover Valley Farmers' Market in
Fort Frances. "It only stands to
reason: the more you have, the more
people you're going to attract. Not
everybody is interested in just the
veggies, or just the bread, or just the
crafts — but taken collectively,
there's something to attract every-
body.
"If a person's going to get up
early in the morning, get in the car
and drive out here, they probably
want to spend at least an hour at the
market," she adds. The message:
give customers a lot to choose from.
Providing variety is as important
to individual vendors as it is to the
market as a whole. Many producers
find ways to fill out the selection at
their tables, some offering a wide
range of articles in a single category
(such as those in the horticulture
business) and some selling non -related
items.
Vicky Atkin is a great believer in
"filling in the spaces. When we
needed produce, I had produce," she
says. "When we needed baking, I had
baking; when we needed jams, I had
jams. My kids do the iced tea stand.
To cover the whole season, you've
"Spend a lot of time talking with
people," says Bill McDowall. "Turn
your customers into acquaintances."
got to be a little versatile. You can
only do so much with rhubarb!"
Linda Neilson, of Seven Bends
Honey Farm north of Stratton, follows
the same rule. Her table at the market
in Fort Frances not only includes
honey in pails and smaller containers
and honey sticks — snack straws of
'liquid gold' — but customers also'
stop by for frilly green lettuce as well
as the unique wooden planters and
other unusual carvings created by her
husband, Rick.
Linda offers this advice for
farmers' market participants:
"Highlight a different thing every
week. Perogies one week, maybe
fresh or smoked fish like we have in
Rainy River. And when the fresh
strawberries come in, that's another
big thing for the market."
Anson Martin agrees. Selling
goods from his family business,
Martin's Meat & Cheese of Barwick,
at the Fort Frances market, Anson
says promotions are "an absolute
must." And to boost customer inter-
est early in the season before local
produce is available, he brings in
fruits and vegetables from eastern
Ontario.
But drawing cards can take many
forms. No one knows this better than
Tony Pizey whose business, Pizey's
Greenhouse in Bergland, benefits
from his participation in the Rainy
River farmer's market. Customers
flock, as it were, to Tony's table
because of Max, a blue and gold
macaw of considerable charm and
personality.
"She's a great conversation piece,"
Tony admits, while Max performs hi -
jinx from her perch on the shoulder of
greenhouse employee Hazel Ramisch.
"These people who were here a few
minutes ago will be back next week
because they want to take their kids'
picture with Max."
Tony's wife Valerie, meanwhile,
is stationed about 100 km. east at the
Fort Frances farmers' market. In her
view, public relations is as important
as promotions.
"Have time to talk to the cus-
tomer," says Valerie. "They really
like to visit. And they like to tell you
about the perennial they bought last
year, or the tomato plant they bought
last month and how many blooms it's
got on it. And — especially in this
type of business — be prepared to
give them advice and share your
knowledge with them."
Customers themselves are a
valuable resource to vendors,
particularly in the area of fine tuning
market items to their specific needs.
At the Fort Frances farmers' market,
Watkins dealer Emilie Cogger and
jam and jelly producer Norma Pattison
urge vendors to discover customer
preferences. "Keep talking to people,
find out what they need," is Norma's
advice. Norma had discovered that
there is a strong local demand for
sugar -free jams, and as a result came
up with a combination fruit spread
AUGUST 1990 23