New Farmers Market

Ned

Hi everyone!

Thanks to Ben Myring for introducing me to this site...
We're starting up a new farmers/community market - hopefully somewhere between SG road & Finsbury park. At the moment we think it should be every Saturday from about 9 until two o'clock.

Though we might start it simply and try to get the basics right (good farm produce & fresh bread etc) what I'd like to achieve in time is a place where Everyone local can gather, buy almost all of their week's groceries, have some lunch & meet new people.

I'd love your advice and opinion, and particularly on the two issues which to me seem central:

1) what would you like to see at the market? This includes your favourite kind of stall, particular produce that you can't otherwise get locally, and what other sorts of attractions besides food would help to draw people in.

2) how to attract ALL sorts and reach as many local people as possible? I'd hate for anything like this to be exclusive to a particular demographic, and first of all this involves promoting the market in different ways in order to attract as wide a group as possible. Of course, aside from advertising the market itself must offer enough variety, quality & good value to keep everybody coming back. Those three things can be difficult to reconcile! Any help will be hugely appreciated.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Ed

grenners

If there is some food then some benches or something I can sit on whilst I eat. If you have this you will create a meeting place thereby drawing more people and getting them to hang around longer and spend more.

Eliz

Would Vagabond or another local coffee shop be interested in having a van serving coffee? I know the coffee stall at the Ally Pally Farmers Market is always very popular.

-noodles-

this is fantastic news & i wish you all the best.
agree with eliz - quality, fresh coffee is a must.
i look forward to coming to support you & filling our fridge with treats!

alcargill

This is amazing news We love going to the Ally Pally farmers market but it would be so much better to have our own. Agree it definitely needs some kind of seating options otherwise people will buy their goods and not hang around. When is it likely to launch?

Arkady

Cheese please! I used to spend an inappropriate percentage of my income on cheese at Harringay farmers' market. And maybe interesting cured meats.

-noodles-

sausage sandwiches mandatory!

trainspotter

Stroud Green is lacking a fishmongers. This might be a tricky gap to fill but you could speak to Walter Purkis and/or Solesource to see whether anything is possible? Smoked fish would be a start. Also Frank Godfrey butchers have their warehouse in Stroud Green and have previously experimented with a retail arm.

Burger Bear at Harringay market was delicious. E Mono might be interested too. Congratulations. In a way I am gutted SGS got there first as I was just about to suggest that St Aidan's explore the possibility of a Farmer's Market on their turf!

trainspotter

Pretty Shiny Shop are a good addition to Stroud Green Road and might be interested in a stall at the market. I agree re cheese, and also tarts or big cakes that you can take away to serve guests. The sort of thing you get in La Fromagerie at Highbury Barn.

HolbornFox

Giggly Pig Sausages, not only are they lovely but they employ ex-offenders as well.

Soon

That's great news.
Cheese, cured meat, "tapenade", olive oil... and maybe a crepes stand
Would also be nice to have a fishmonger as we don't have any on Stroudgreen.

conformable_kate

Farmers' market - I would be after seasonal and local(ish) fruit and veg, on the whole, more than tarts and tapenade - nice though those are.

trainspotter

Well yes, I assumed in London the "Farmers'" bit was a bit of poetic licence.

Ali

I wonder what the other traders who have open end up delis etc on SGR? What would be good is something complimentary to those offer. You would also need some bill boards on SGR to direct folks to the school.

I wonder which side of the playground would be best for this

krappyrubsnif

If the harvest is OK this year this will be the perfect place to offer Stroud Green Olive Oil in time for Christmas again.

Ned

Those are wonderful suggestions! Thanks to everyone for your advice.

Benches: you're absolutely right, and though there are some markets which work well as "buy your stuff and home for lunch" I'd prefer a more relaxed and congenial atmosphere to this one. This obviously means coffee too, and hot food, some of which can be done by the farmers themselves (eg sausages - Giggly pig is great!) & others by a specialist lunch van.

Ned

trainspotter: I'll have a hunt for the burger bear and E mono too as I haven't heard of them - and it's a good excuse to go back to la fromagerie! I do think we can balance the deli stuff with the english farm produce: there will certainly be proper cakes, and I'll make sure we can all buy or maybe order a whole cake if we'd like to. Gluten free & vegan options for cakes too will be available. As much as possible, the idea (at least my idea!) of a farmers market is direct trade so I'll try if I can to attract a meat farmer for the meat stall, fishermen for the fish stall etc; of course related things eg pork pies or smoked fish might be produced by others.
Good idea too about the pretty shiny shop - I'd really love for people to find items other than food & drink: crafts, clothes and all sorts would be a dream, though we may start with really good food and se how things go from there on...

Ned

(at least St Aidan's is just a hop skip away!)

Ned

Eliz & Ali: yes we should definitely try to give local shops a chance at the market if they'd like to. Another idea is that the people at Urban Native can have a juice stall. What do you think?

Ned

Krappyrubsnif: There will always be a space for you and the stroud green oil! I'd love to try some. For a moment I thought you might have olive trees in Finsbury park...

trainspotter

Ned soleshare deal direct with fishermen and might be able to make this work somehow

http://www.soleshare.net/

maclondon

I would have a look at the stalls at the Primrose Hill market also Saturday. A deli, potentially drawn from the 2 on Stroud Green Road would do well, Wildes Cheese is brilliant and as discussed above perhaps some gifts too.

Good luck and we will come often!

the_dodo

Also a local bread stall, maybe Bread by Bike or Stroud Green Bakehouse?

Ned

Three brilliant ideas - when I say brilliant I mean that they're all exactly as I was thinking! Going to hunt around the Stoke Newington Market today as I haven't been for a while; but I think Primrose hill is a wonderful mix of produce, deli, hot food...really something for everyone!

Ned

Thank you all for your help so far. It's been pointed out to me that the venue given above isn't confirmed yet, just an idea, so to avoid confusion I'll bring this discussion to an end and start a new one in a week's time or so, when we've moved on a bit. I'll have more questions to ask by then so I hope you'll read it and do what you can!

In the meantime do get in touch by PM if you like.

Best wishes for now!

NED

Ali

Oh dear !

Toddlesocks

Exiting!

I also suggest St Aidans as an alternative.

Ali

Poor foot fall cf SGS

gardener-joe

...

_Bee

I'm so excited!

miss annie

Ordinary tea cart please. I'm not a fan of expensive coffee. Your local WI might like an occasional cake stall @StroudGreenWI
A good flower stall - The Allotment Florist is local.
Sausage rolls and scotch eggs, pork pies.
You'll need a ton of vegan and gluten, dairy, taste free foods. Everyone (except me), is allergic or faddy about food nowadays. Although they all seem to be able to drink coffee.
If you have a couple of stalls for local makers of non food things like Highams Park and Tottenham Green do, I'm in.
Good luck!