The Harrison Family Farm, responsible for Upland’s farmers market, will experiment with a new format during the winter months this year.
Ben and Annie Harrison will oversee the first Upland winter farmers market.
Instead of the familiar outdoor location, the market will take temporary residence in the Upland Community Building on Washington Street. In order to keep business alive, for both the managers and vendors, an indoor location allows the market to function year round instead of only in the warmer months.
The market will move from a weekly to monthly format. The Harrisons hope by keeping the market operational this winter, they will allow vendors to maintain their income. This will also give local shoppers the chance to purchase locally grown and homemade items.
While the indoor space provides an escape from the cold, it also limits the capacity of the market. During the summer, the market usually hosts about 20-30 vendors. However, given the limited capacity of the Upland Community Building, they can only have about 15 vendors in the space.
The limited space is one of the main challenges they have encountered in organizing the winter market. Yet, they also expect few people to know about the winter market which is why they hope to advertise well and continue to have consistent vendors and customers throughout the winter.
Along with a location change, Annie said customers can expect to see slightly different items for sale this winter.
“They are taking those berries and things that they grew all summer, and they're making jam because that's shelf stable, or they're doing baked goods,” she said. “A lot of our farm vendors, who would normally do produce, are also making a switch to handmade things that would be useful around the home.”
This will allow vendors to diversify their products and experiment with selling other things, she said.
She also talked about ways the indoor market will benefit everyone involved in the process.
“The community loves the farmers market, and we wanted to give a place for them to continue to shop locally throughout the year, since there's not that availability here in Upland,” she said. “And then also giving our local entrepreneurs a place to sell. Most entrepreneurs who sell at the farmers markets, they don't have the resources to rent a building and put up a storefront, and so they're tied to being very seasonal, and it inhibits growth.”
She said bringing a year-round experience to the farmer’s market in Upland will give vendors an opportunity to continue to bring in profits even during the winter months.
