Farm-fresh foods build commerce, culture, community
By Diane Conners
Great Lakes Bulletin News Service >Link
Julie Adams has a new Friday morning ritual, now that Petoskey has launched a downtown farmers market that's meant to help growers and local merchants alike.
The chef and co-owner of Julienne's Tomatoes café walks out her door and across the street to the market as soon as it opens at 9 a.m. By noon, she'll be serving eager customers scrumptious, fresh dishes based not on a preplanned menu but on what local farmers brought from their fields to the market that morning.
There might be salad with lettuce purchased from Bill's Farm Market in Petoskey, green beans from the Berg farm in Charlevoix, cherries from the Royal Farm in Atwood, smoked chicken from the Fleming Feirm in Levering, and savory dishes with basil from Real Food Blackbird Garden in Petoskey.
And it's not just the farmers who are making money. The Petoskey market brings customers to downtown businesses like Ms. Adams' eatery, too. In fact, the spin-off business and social buzz that farmers markets bring to downtowns threatened by suburbanization and big box malls is spurring municipalities, chambers of commerce, and downtown groups to sponsor a growing number of farmers markets across the country. There's a growing movement, too, among farmers market advocates to share ideas and lobby for public policy to strengthen both markets and the communities that host them.
Hot Markets
The number of farmers markets nationwide more than doubled between 1994 and 2004 -- from 1,755 to 3,700. And while national figures aren't available, in Michigan in 2004 nearly two-thirds of the state's 120 farmers markets were sponsored by governmental groups, chambers of commerce, or downtown groups like city-created downtown development authorities.
Travel to any professional conference for municipal and downtown officials, such as the Michigan Downtown Association or the National Main Street Organization, and you'll see seminars on farmers markets, said Becky Goodman, Petoskey's downtown director for the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the market there.
"It is an extremely hot topic right now," she said. "They're trying to attract people to downtown. The hope is someone will say, 'Oh my, I've never been in that shop before. Let's have a cup of coffee here.' It is an economic development tool."
And for Julienne's Tomatoes, it's working.
"One of our regular customers even commented a couple days ago about the traffic that came in the door on Friday, compared to the next day here," Ms. Adams said. "The customer's comment: 'Man, you ought to have a farmers market every day.'"
Ms. Adams' experience squares with a 2003 study by the nonprofit organization Project for Public Places. A full 60 percent of farmers market customers surveyed in eight very different markets across the country said they had visited or planned to visit other stores in the neighborhood the same day, and of that group 60 percent said they only visited those stores on market days.
Boosting Downtown Businesses
In Traverse City, which is south of Petoskey, crowds of farmers market customers rub shoulders and greet friends as they choose the ripest tomatoes and most succulent sweet corn. Rob Bacigalupi, the city's downtown director, said the city's market significantly increases downtown business. In a 2000 survey of customers at the Traverse City farmers market, 39 percent of the respondents said they typically shop downtown before or after visiting the farmers market; 24 percent said their visits to the market influence them to shop downtown on non-market days; and a whopping 77 percent said they would not be downtown at all if it were not for the market.
For Traverse City's Downtown Development Authority, which organizes the twice-a-week market, those percentages are important because, "you could surmise that these are folks who wouldn't be here in the first place," Mr. Bacigalupi said.
In fact, the "number-one benefit" of the market is that it "reconnects" people to downtown, Mr. Bacigalupi said. Many local residents, in particular, have come to believe downtown is just a haven for gift and t-shirt shops, he said. Once lured downtown by the farmers market, they see new restaurants, car repair shops, and places to buy groceries, moderately priced clothing, tires, and travel services.
"It is a nice tie-in with local merchants," he said.
Recipe for Success
It is a nice tie, but farmers market advocates across the country say this wave of popularity can fool too many communities into thinking that launching successful markets is as easy as choosing a time and place.
Too many markets founder if they rely excessively on volunteers -- who can burn out -- or because they don't have enough steady funding for costs such as site rentals, weather-protecting canopies, bathrooms, liability insurance, a paid and trained manager, highly visible signs, widespread publicity, and electronic devices to accept the cards that have replaced food stamps, said Chris Heitmann, project manager for Project for Public Spaces, a non-profit, community-building organization based in New York City.
"There are now 3,700 farmers markets across the country, and they are sort of exercises in passion," Mr. Heitmann said. "There is no system that is holding them together."
To thrive past that first flush of infatuation, Mr. Heitmann and other advocates say, communities and markets across regions, states, and the nation need to share ideas, plan for financial stability, and build political clout for policies that strengthen market vitality.
Project for Public Spaces, for example, recommends market organizers bring a wide variety of leaders to the table to discuss ways to promote and invest in a community's market, including officials in chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, farm groups, neighborhood groups, transit agencies, arts organizations, and health care institutions.
Similar strategic planning should take place statewide, said Jim Bingen, professor of community, food, and agriculture at Michigan State University. State agriculture departments, for example, could document and track the economic impact and potential of farmers markets, he said, which could help more farmers decide whether to invest in direct marketing to consumers in addition to or instead of bulk commodity farming that currently pays farmers low prices. Agriculture and state tourism officials could coordinate efforts to promote farmers markets as vibrant parts of state economies. And they could explore regulatory issues, such as whether vintners should be allowed to sell bottles of wine at markets.
Currently, though, there is no unified voice calling on state officials to step up their efforts regarding farmers markets. This is so even with a recently released Iowa State University study about the economic boost farmers markets provide. The study charted $20.8 million in sales to farmers at 180 markets statewide, plus an additional $12.2 million in spin-off economic activity. Professor Bingen hopes to see a Michigan farmers market coalition in the future that can share good ideas and policy concerns.
It's More Than Money
Farmers market advocates also urge communities to recognize that markets have the potential to be both economic powerhouses and important cultural gathering spots that knit a community together. In fact, another key finding of the Project for Public Spaces study was that consumers said that, although they go to farmers markets to buy food, the biggest benefit is that such markets "bring people together." Most customers said that they shopped at farmers markets because of "place" and "people" rather than prices.
That's a critical lesson for village-, city-, or county-sponsored farmers markets, said Mr. Bingen. Often, a local government will put a farmers market under the supervision of the parks and recreation department because it manages the land where the market will be held. But those departments don't always think about programs that could help markets become places of community leisure activity, as well as commerce, Mr. Bingen said.
For example, many farmers markets are adding musical entertainment to draw people in, and the Zeeland Farmers Market in southwest Michigan even added a children's story time to entertain kids while their parents shop. Other markets are hosting chef tastings to teach people how to use vegetables that might not be familiar, like rutabagas or Chinese cabbage. And others hold events like pig roasts or corn roasts that draw people with their festival-like atmosphere.
"Farmers markets are becoming a place for people to go and stay and meet with people," Mr. Bingen said.
And that includes family-owned restaurant owners who are too busy with their own business to drive to individual farms to buy fresh products.
"There is a real sense of community," Ms. Adams of Julienne Tomatoes said about the market. "You need to buy from your neighbors. But with produce, none of the farmers has a delivery system. With the farmers market, it gives me the chance to get in touch with people who I otherwise might not know are there."
Diane Conners, a journalist and former farmers market master, coordinates the Michigan Land Use Institute's Taste the Local Difference campaign. Reach her at diane@mlui.org; visit for more information on the Institute's local food campaign.
Join the fun on the Landing, Wednesday, July 27th. From 5:00 to 7:30pm, join your Downtown neighbors and co-workers for a party in the streets - with free food, live music, cool beverages! Free parking in the City/County Parking Garage after 5pm.
Must be 21 or older.
Hosted by the Downtown Improvement District and the City of Fort Wayne
LIVE MUSIC provided by: Matthew Sturm Band
SPONSOR of the July Block Party: Baker and Daniels LLP
CATERED BY: Columbia Street West
Many thanks to the sponsor and caterer for their support. If you see these folks on the street be sure to thank them!
By Brandon Morley
from The Journal Gazette
Movie connoisseurs in Fort Wayne with an appreciation for foreign and independent films will be treated to a weekly film series starting Thursday thanks to a partnership between the Allen County Public Library and the Cinema Center.
The first film in the series is a Norwegian movie called "Buddy" and begins at 7 p.m. at Cinema Center, 437 E. Berry St.
"The library is a good place to find an obscure film. It's nice to put the Cinema Center crowd together with library patrons, hoping we'll start to frequent each other's facilities," says Leslie Lundgren, librarian of the art, music and audio-visual collection at the main library.
The new series is from Film Movement, a DVD-of-the-month club of award-winning independent and foreign films from some of the world's top film festivals, including Cannes, Toronto and Sundance.
The library bought a subscription to Film Movement, which sends one film each month and allows a free screening of that movie. After the movie has been shown at Cinema Center, it will be added to the library's permanent collection for residents to check out.
The program seemed a fitting situation for both the library and Cinema Center, officials said.
"We have the films, they (Cinema Center) have the space," Lundgren said of why the partnership was formed.
Film Movement fits in with the Cinema Center's mission, too.
"It's a great opportunity to see films as an art, showing movies that won't come to Fort Wayne any other way," said Catherine Lee, Cinema Center's director. "It's another opportunity for audiences to see something projected on a big screen, not a home screen. It's neat that Film Movement makes the opportunity to see them for free."
To kick off the series, five films will be shown with the hopes of continuing the series into the fall.
Lundgren says it's also planned to have speakers before or after each film to highlight some of the issues or themes relevant to the film.
Lundgren said this is a good way to give context to the film and add a little cultural education to the audience's movie-going experience.
A column by Kevin Leininger
City should tout assets to attract 'creative class'
If you believe the hype, Brian Adams shouldn't exist. At least not here.
Adams, 33, is an animator, sculptor, production designer, videographer and art director who has spent the last five years living and working in Los Angeles — a resume that makes him the epitome of the 'creative class' whose members author Richard Florida argues are abundant in thriving cities, and often scarce in conservative rust-belt backwaters such as you-know-where.
Yet, less than a year ago, Adams set up shop in the city Men's Health Magazine had just branded the dumbest town in America — and says he hasn't regretted the decision.
Why did Adams choose to 'cast against type,' as his old Hollywood friends might say? His reasons may not be what you expect, or even want to hear. But people trying to make Fort Wayne better — and better-known — should still pay attention.
I was a bit disappointed myself, at first. When I heard about Adams' business, I was hoping he had chosen Fort Wayne for reasons that might disprove some of the city's often-erroneous stereotypes. An underground but thriving artistic community, or lucrative but untapped Midwestern markets for his creations.
No such luck: He's here mostly for the same old reasons we've heard before: The cost of living is low. For all our complaining, Fort Wayne traffic is manageable, and its air is fresh (at least compared to Los Angeles). People here are friendly and level-headed.
And — you just knew this was coming — Fort Wayne is a great place to raise a family.
Oh, is that all?
Then it dawned on me: No, that's everything. Instead of trying to compete with other cities' beaches, mountains, weather and other things Fort Wayne will never have, why can't we improve and publicize the strengths we do have — the things that brought Adams back home after spending years in supposedly more desirable cities?
"I've had a few of my old friends ask, 'Why Fort Wayne?' But others have told me they think it's a great opportunity," said Adams, a Fort Wayne native and Northrop High School graduate who also studied at Columbia College in Chicago, Glendale Community College in California and IPFW.
Even though Adams has also lived and worked in places such as Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix, his Fort Wayne roots brought him home: His late father, Roland, was a city police officer for 27 years, and his mother, Diane, was a longtime Republican member of the county Board of Voter Registration who still lives here. His fiancée and her young son are from Fort Wayne, too.
But if you think family alone keeps Adams here, think again.
"The location here is good: close to Chicago, Detroit, Ohio. In Los Angeles, I'd spend two hours in traffic when it should have taken 20 minutes. You can make money in Los Angeles but not afford anything. A two-bedroom home could cost you $400,000. A parking ticket there is $50 compared to $5 here. You think you should be dying in Los Angeles because you can see the air. And I was stopped by the police at gunpoint because I had a shaved head and was wearing a T-shirt (an apparent gang uniform). It was pretty rough."
For now, Adams' house on Fort Wayne's north side doubles as a studio.
The garage has no room for cars because it's home to a handmade set for a film Adams is planning. Throughout the house are handmade models of characters he has created for a variety of customers — including one for a TV show he's trying to sell.
Adams does his animation work in the basement, where he also does his stop-action photography. Much of the work can be sent to clients over the Internet — another reason doing business in Fort Wayne makes sense, so long as you already have big-city contacts, as Adams does.
A former set decorator at Disneyland and stage manager at Universal Studios in California, Adams also worked as a production designer on television pilots, art director on feature films and commercials, and produces videos for attorneys.
Even if Fort Wayne should temper its civic dreams with old-fashioned Hoosier realism, we can dream, too.
"The new Grand Wayne Center is great, and with the dorms being built (at IPFW and other campuses), this is becoming a college town. And as it does, it will become a more creative town. In another 10 years, you'll really see the change. There are a lot of possibilities here. Fort Wayne isn't a hard town to live in."
Or, to put it another way: Fort Wayne's not L.A. — and why would we want to be?
Not the sexiest marketing slogan, perhaps. But Adams is proof Fort Wayne can build on it — if it wants to.
Stopping the drain
In 2002, author Richard Florida argued in 'The Rise of the Creative Class' that a tolerant environment and the presence of artists, entrepreneurs, scientists and health-care professionals determine which cities thrive — and which don't. Indiana ranks 50th per capita among the states in the number of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher, causing City Councilman John Crawford to begin a program last year to stop Fort Wayne's "brain drain.'
Columnist Kevin Leininger appears in The News-Sentinel every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Leininger has been with The News-Sentinel for more than 25 years, 11 of which were as an editorial writer. The column reflects his opinion, not necessarily that of The News-Sentinel and will discuss issues affecting Fort Wayne. To pass along column ideas or feedback, contact him at kleininger@news-sentinel.com, or call 461-8355.
3rd Saturday of the Month
7/16, 8/20, 9/17, 10/15
220 Pearl Street, Downtown Fort Wayne
8:00am - 2:00pm
Here's what's going on downtown:
The Pearl Street Market will offer fun, funky, fabulous finds for everyone! Old cool stuff, mixed in with hip new crap! We've over 30 separate vendors who'll be selling their wears. We have folks from every walk of life, some are sassy, others sexy, still some are bitchy. We promise: No beanie babies, no baby clothes (unless they're vintage), no clip on hair, no clips for your potato chip bag, no Nascar memorabilia, no wind chimes, no babies breath on a wooden spoon - get the hint? We hope to see you there!
For info and rates 260.424.7355
Why cities should cherish -- and support -- their public marketsMaisonneuve urban issues columnist takes a look at public markets, arguing that they are catalysts for urban development, economic prosperity and social integration. "Ultimately," he writes, "well-managed markets can be the beating heart of any city--if city leaders have the foresight and good sense to embrace their potential.">Link
The Problem:
The industrialized nations made a terrible mistake when they turned to the automobile as an instrument of improved urban mobility. The car brought with it major unanticipated consequences for urban life and has become a serious cause of environmental, social, and aesthetic problems in cities. [...]
The Solution:
The urban automobile can only be supplanted if a better alternative is available. What would happen if we designed a city to work without any cars? Would anyone want to live in such a city? Does it make social, economic, and esthetic sense? Is it possible to be free of the automobile while keeping the rapid and convenient mobility it once offered? >Link