Talk of The Villages Florida - Brownwood Farmers Market Details

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee Farms (Post 739132)

Wondering if I can take a moment to address some of the concerns. We are a vendor at the Market (Lee Farms). We are usually there with our children. We are Farmers, Farming the land, every day, growing everything we can and providing to you at the best prices we can afford.
We are charged rent for each week at the Villages, and during this rainy season, we have had days, where we have walked away with very little money.
Prices are up, absolutely. It is summertime in Florida which means that the vegetables are harder to grow, or coming from further away. Customers are down, which means we don't have as big of a crowd to sell to. Too much rain ruin some crops, and the rain stops the market and ruin what vegetables you have left. Wind ruins tents that need to be replaced.
Although, we realize that you want the best value for your money, finding a Farmer that will go out of their way to keep happy customers keeps them in business, which means when the prices go back down, you will reap the benefit of that.
Our family will have 20 acres into our vegetable crops this by the end of the year, which means that you can actually buy non-GMO, often organic produce from a FARMER and put it on your table.
Blessings to all of you, and thanks for giving us the opportunity to respond!
Christina Lee
Lee Farms

Quoted
"I am so disappointed to hear that the vendors are raising their prices. I hope that it is seasonal...maybe because volume has decreased for them during the lower population during the summer.

I wonder how much booth rental is?

I am hoping that one of the vendors will tell us if it is a dropoff of customers and the continuance of overhead that has made them raise their prices.

One thing for sure about the the older population is that they are savvy shoppers. Our peak earning time is over and we are trying to outlive our savings.

I want to hear from my favorite vendors, the two young couples who always bring their well behaved children and the well behaved grandma too...... I KNOW they read this forum.

What do YOU vendors have to say on this?"

Lee Farms,
If I were you, I would not take too much stock on what some people post on here when it comes to cost. There are some real tightwads. I know many many people, my wife included, that see real value in the products sold by the vendors at the Farmers Market.

There are apparently a few people here with limited life experience when it comes to agriculture and family farms. Just keep up the good work!

By the way, The Villages retailers need you nearly as much as you need them. Why not get together and try negotiating some relief from the developer for inclement weather? Maybe you can erect a free standing, portable turnstyle that will count Market Visitors. If visitation drops below a benchmark due to weather, you get a credit toward future rents. It never hurts to ask.