05/01/2026
The first farmers market of the season is 48 hours away. I’ve been planning the table for awhile and am so excited to get to share face-to-face updates on the shop with you.
I’m also sad to share that it’ll be our last first weekend at the market as members of the board have voted to not allow us to return after this summer on account of our new storefront. A handful of others have been voted out as well.
It’s a decision that was purposefully made behind closed doors and dare I say one that is indicative of a profoundly poor and primarily fear-based brand of opportunistic “leadership.“ The board claims that the mission of the market is to focus on supporting emerging small businesses but there are vendors that have been selling almost as long as I’ve been alive and others that will continue to be allowed to sell through other (often multiple) mediums, including grocery stores and even their own storefronts, without question.
And they should. With six months of good selling opportunity each year at best, every vendor works hard to make a living here, myself included. Some are permitted to take advantage of every possible sales channel while others are not. The message is this: be successful but not so much that certain vendors feel threatened. Do what you want, but only if you’re on the right side of the right people. Bylaws are a formality, rule-making is targeted and reactive, and the results are selectively enforced. I’ve seen members gossip and scream at each other, new members picked at to the point of tears, and managers walk away exhausted by the petty politics.
The support I’ve received in this season has often been too abundant to hold but the market reminds me that there are also people that do not hope for my success. There is no petition, no strongly-worded letter, no meeting discussion that changes hearts that are so deeply motivated by self-interest.
And so this market season is our last. I hope you’ll support each local business that got the boot. They are all, by definition, emerging, and owned by incredible women making exceptional products. I wish each of them (and The Cakery) so much success. We all should.
See you Saturday.
