February has been super busy at the Market, the weather has been unbelievable! Last Saturday we hosted our Annual Farmers Market Vendors Meeting, we had about 85 vendors in attendance. Once a year we meet to go over the markets rules and regulations, update vendors on what is happening in the neighborhood and what to expect in 2017. Since the City Market participates in the SNAP ( Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Double Up Food Bucks Program we are required to train our vendors each year to ensure everyone complies with the government guidelines and understands how the program works. It is always great to see all the vendors together again, trust me there is a lot of catching up going on at this meeting.

Wednesday, Sarah Adams (Assistant Farmers Market Manager) and I took a break from working on contracts and visited one of our Sunday craft vendors. Kelly Daniels and her children have been vending at the City Market for a few years and have decided to change up what they make, the perfect time to check things out. The Daniels’ are switching from making tutu’s and flower barrettes to everything perler beads. Perler beads are small heat activated beads you can use to create any kind of design. Kelly and her children make mostly minecraft, minions, pokeymon, sports logos and super heroes. They will do special orders while at the market using a photo provided by the customer. I was amazed that they can also create a person’s face from perler beads. Their prices range from a $1.00 key chain to a $50 large wall hanging. The Daniels will start vending at the market in another month or so and are located in the first covered pavilion in stall 5.

Next week Sarah and I are planning on visiting an auction in Missouri and a few vendors that have greenhouses which should be full of bedding and vegetable plants. I can’t wait; nothing makes you ready for spring like walking through isles of beautiful plants.

There has been a great interest in vending at the farmers market this year so I am trying to stay on top of things and checking new vendors as soon as I can. All vendors in the Artist / Crafter category must have their art work or handmade products approved by market management prior to renting a space. We do this to insure that the person selling the item at the farmers’ market is also making it. 

We received a new application from Jordan Long a couple of weeks ago. Jordan is fairly new to Kansas City and his day job is teaching art at an elementary school in Kansas. Jordan paints in acrylic and watercolors and in some cases creates custom canvases to enhance his subject matter.  I had a lovely visit with Jordan and his mother, who is visiting, about their family farm in Oklahoma. I do love talking about farms.

Jordan plans to sell his art at the Sunday farmers’ market in the very near future; he brings something very unique to the Market.

  

Next week the City Market will have a booth at the KC Lawn and Garden show at Kemper Arena, I am sure I will not have enough time to visit any vendors next week but I hope to get out to quite a few of our existing Artist / Crafter vendors workshops in the next few weeks. I need to get this done soon since it will be time to visit greenhouses before I know it which means spring is almost here, thank goodness!