Vendors and visitors cite concerns over location, pricing and atmosphere

By Damian Mann for Ashland.news

Over the past decade or so, Fry Family Farm’s sales at the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market in Ashland have withered.

“We’re not doing as well as we used to,” said co-owner Steve Fry, whose farm offerings are available at both the Tuesday and Saturday markets in Ashland, as well as the Thursday market in Medford. “We’re down about two-thirds.”

Many visitors to the Ashland market interviewed by Ashland.news voiced a number of concerns, citing what they see as high prices, a bad location, and a less-than-appealing vibe.

The Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market, which organizes the farmers markets, has responded to growing concerns voiced by vendors and visitors alike by initiating an online survey this month.

Some vendors say the Medford market offers a better experience than Ashland. Many farmers such as Fry Family Farm say they do better at farm stands than at farmers markets.

“There’s only so many dollars walking through the farmer’s market,” Fry said. “Customer counts are down, as far as what I heard.”

His family has been in the farm business for 35 years and was one of the early promoters of local farmers markets. Fry Family Farm’s concerns are echoed among some vendors at the farmers markets, but others say they have seen business increase.

Visitors to farmers markets have also taken to social media to voice concerns about what they see as a number of issues with the Ashland markets.

Because of conflicting anecdotal reports and other concerns, the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market posted a survey this month to get community feedback.  An explanation accompanying the survey about the Ashland Tuesday Market stated: “The weekday, mid-day schedule works for some — but leaves out many. We know it’s difficult (or impossible) for working families, students, and commuters. We also know the parking situation, lack of shade, and walkability at certain locations are real barriers. We hear your frustration, and we’re actively exploring alternative options.”

Behind the scenes, the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market has been looking for other locations that might provide a better overall experience for both vendors and customers.

A farmers market generally needs a central and relatively flat location, parking, power, water, shade and an area for visitors to have a picnic. Some communities in other parts of the country block off several streets or offer parks in downtown areas to host farmers markets. Ashland’s Saturday market in the downtown is too small to accommodate a large number of vendors. The market location off Main Street has received the most criticism.

In the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market survey, it states, “We’ve heard your longing for a true community experience, not just a transaction. You’ve made comparisons to markets in Arcata, Eugene, Grants Pass, and others — and we take that seriously. We’re not trying to recreate those markets — we want to create our own uniquely Ashland version. But we need your help to do that. We have sought out a site that best meets the needs of our market and the community, but spaces to host something of this size are limited in Ashland.”

While results of the survey haven’t been compiled yet, David French, a vendor at the Ashland market, started his own conversation on Facebook in September.  He stated, “As a vendor of the Growers Market for 15 years now, I can’t help but notice that the Tuesday market seems to be dwindling in foot traffic. We typically see some decrease this time of year, however, it seems to be more drastic this year.”

As of Monday, the post had drawn 433 comments.

Kimberly Clark, a former vendor, responded to French, “This current Ashland market location is hot, no grass, no music, nowhere nice to sit, too far for people to walk to, too far for high school students … to come for lunch.”

She said the market has been put in a low-priority area with difficult access and inadequate parking.

Kevin Rex said, “Most folks I know can barely afford to buy groceries at Winco, let alone a farmers market. It’s odd because where I’m from farmers markets are much cheaper than grocery stores, but my experience in Ashland has been the opposite. Severe economic strife might be part of it?”

Jennifer Parks wrote, “Everything is so much more expensive everywhere right now. It’s impacting my spending decisions and I can’t imagine that I’m alone.”

Cliff Beneventi said, “I paid $4.25 for an heirloom tomato. One tomato. I want to support the vendors, but it’s hard to rationalize.”

A long-time vendor at farmers markets is Runnymede Farms, which has been around for about 25 years.

Art White, co-owner of Runnymede, said, “The health is not good for either Medford or Ashland, but I don’t think they’re going to fail.”

White thinks the Grants Pass farmers market is doing well.

He said some farmers can’t afford to bring their produce to markets, so  Runnymede also sells their products at its stand.
This helps because White said that he’s advancing in age and is unable to produce as much at his own farm. He also cites high labor costs as limiting how much he can offer for sale.

White said the Ashland Tuesday market has a number of issues, but more shade would be help a lot.

Doug Bigham, with family owned Bigham Farms, said the farmers markets have changed over the years, with less emphasis on farm-fresh products and more emphasis on food trucks and artisanal goods.

Bigham said he decided not to sell in Ashland in 2020.

“Medford is where I started,” he said. “It’s always been a good market for me. It’s holding its own. I can’t say it’s any better. “Yesterday (last Thursday) it was down.”

While not a big fan of social media, Bigham said he does see quite a bit of traffic on his Facebook page. Bigham Farms has other avenues to sell produce, such as its upcoming pumpkin patch festival.

While he tries to keep produce affordable, he said labor costs have increased dramatically recently.

In the near future, he worries that federally funded nutrition programs for low-income families, known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants and Children), could be cut in the near future. Many SNAP and WIC customers come to farmers markets looking for produce.

“If they took it away, we probably couldn’t make it anymore,” Bigham said.

Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].

Sept. 29: This story has been corrected to reflect that Kimberly Clark is a former vendor and that the city of Ashland did not decide the location of the farmers market.