Abingdon Farmers Market
P.O. Box 791
Abingdon, VA 24212
276-623-1121
Meeting Minutes 12/10/12
Steering Committee Present: Darnell Sumrell, Richard Moyer, Tom Peterson, Nicola Aloisio,
Mitch Critel, David King, Sandra Carney, David Alexander, Mary Bell Boltwood; Dwayne
McIntyre, David McLeish, Nicole Dyer.
Vendors: Ben Bullen, Antoinette and Eleanor Goodrich, Debbie McLeish
Financial Update
AFM is in a strong financial position – approximately $3000.00 to the good for the year.
A final budget report will be presented at the January meeting.
Welcome to Nicole Dyer
Sara and Nicole are working together to finalize the transition.
Market Manager Phone
We are able to keep Sara’s old number as the AFM phone number – this will help greatly to
simplify the transition. David Alexander is working with Verizon to complete the phone number
transfer to AFM ownership.
Should the AFM purchase a phone for Market business? Yes. David Alexander and Nicole Dyer
will work together to identify which phone/plan will best meet our needs.
Market Manager Computer
Re-Cell Store has a used Toshiba laptop available for $125.00 with windows software already
installed. It is shy on memory and will need to have some added ($35.00).
New Toshiba laptops sell for $300 (plus we would need to purchase software packages), but they
would come with warranties and be new. Dwayne offered to share his Office 2003 software – it
is licensed for 3 users and he only used 1.
It was suggested we might want to go for newer software.
Motion was made to purchase a new computer for the AFM – up to $400.00 (although later folks
felt that $600 might be a more realistic figure). Motion seconded and passed. Dwayne will price
out some options and report back at the January meeting (unless he finds a time-sensitive deal, in
which case we can decide via email). Dwayne will consult with Jacob King and sara Cardinale to
be sure we get the features we need.
Do we need insurance for the phone and laptop? Mary Bell Boltwood will look into
options/prices.
What about data backup programs? Several folks felt that data backup programs are available for
free or in the cloud.
Holiday and Winter Market
Market Hours: Do we need to wait until 10:00 to make sales – one customer last week did not
know that the hours had changed and was angry that she could not make a purchase before 10:00
and the sale was lost (not to mention angry feelings towards the AFM).
Darnell expressed that he would be happy to “open” the Market early if the vendors appeared
ready. We discussed the relative benefits of selling early, but opted to stick with our earlier
decision to stick to a firm start time (in fairness to customers and vendors). Perhaps we can do a
better job of advertising our start times.
Vendor Fees: Our rules state that season-long vendors are free to sell at the Holiday and Winter
markets without additional fees. One of our Tuesday-only season-long vendors asked if this rule
applied to him (he has paid $10 for each of the Holiday Markets he has attended)?
We agreed that Tuesday-only season vendors should not have to pay an additional fee for the
Holiday and Winter Markets. We will refund the fees this vendor has paid for the Holiday
Market and look into others who may have been assessed the same fee unfairly.
We will look into clarifying this issue in the AFM rules.
AFM Rules for 2013
The following statements were submitted to help guide our discussions regarding rules changes
for the 2012 season. There is a desire to clarify and simplify the current rules (to remove
redundancies) shared across the Steering Committee:
AFM: 2012 Review and 2013 Planning
AFM Purpose, from our Bylaws:
“to provide a consistent venue”
“to encourage the growing and consumption of local foods”
“to support business in Washington Co and surrounding area”
The role of “always fresh, always local” will be considered in discussion of AFM rules. Steering Committee
resolution, passed Oct. 2011.
Also in Bylaws:
The role of Steering Committee (SC) members is to promote vendor unity. How do we work toward this in 2013,
while valuing our diverse vendor base?
A sampling of AFM vendor assumptions:
---we have the right to sell what we choose; it's unfair or wrong for others to limit this
---Farm vendors should not bring Prepared Foods or Crafts
---the line between farm products, prepared foods and crafts is blurred for multiple items, and product mix changes
through the season
---multiple AFM farmers have a family history of home-prepared foods and crafts, and seek to pass this legacy on to
their children and grandchildren
---farm family economies are creative, diverse and personal; AFM should encourage and reward this
---re: new AFM rules; the products we've been bringing should be grandfathered in, so these rules don't apply to us
---if customers buy or ask for it, we should be able to sell it
---we say we're a producer-only market, so customers expect that
---AFM rules should only be enforced for the most egregious violations
---AFM rules are enforced unevenly
---farm vendors should not take away business away from prepared food or craft vendors
---friendly competition between AFM vendors increases the quality, quantity, duration and diversity of products at
market
---value added fruit products should be vendor grown, then sourced locally from AFM or other farmers, whenever
possible
Overheard customer opinions: (surveys can also inform this)
---we expect items sold here are locally grown and produced
---AFM looks like a flea market, so I don't shop there
---we come here whenever we are in town
---we plan our weekly meals with AFM purchases, often using AFM Email and Facebook info to make our shopping
lists
---we want confidence in our food, so want to meet the grower
---AFM is a preferred social gathering, and a great place to browse for personalized gifts
Community:
---Reputation of AFM
---Support from Town of Abingdon and Mayor
Opportunities before us:
---Maintain and build AFM strengths
---Support our new market manager
---Streamline 2013 rules and application, to be clear, consistent and enforceable (and enforced?)
---Develop a 5-year plan
To do list:
---2013 Rules updated, clarified, streamlined as possible
---Appoint AFM officers: Facilitator, Secretary and Treasurer
---Timeline
2013 applications completed and mailed week of Jan 21
Feb 18: Applications due back
Applications scored by March meeting
Vendor spaces assigned at March meeting, letters sent out
---Numbers attached to vendor spaces in Abingdon Market Pavilion
---Promotional subcommittee
Our discussion focused on the “sampling of AFM vendor assumptions” – particularly in regards
to “farm crafts and prepared foods.” Our current rules permit farm vendors to bring craft items
and prepared foods that are made from farm raised or collected items without having to ask for
special permission (likewise, craft and prepared food vendors may bring home-grown items for
sale at the AFM without Steering Committee approval).
It is not clear that the rule is clearly understood or followed. Do we need to revisit the rule that
allows farmers to bring farm-raised crafts and prepared foods? Do we need to clarify the rule?
How is this enforced? In the past we had left this up to Sara’s discretion. Do we continue this
with Nicole?
Can we identify potential issues in the application process and explain issues directly with
vendors before they start selling at Market? Can we approve vendors with restrictions on what
they sell? Yes, as long as the rules we are enforcing are clear.
New Vendor Application
Stone Soup is a new application for a Prepared Food vendor. They prepare a meal from local
foods and it is sold by donation at the Market. The donations are used to purchase foods at
Market for the next week’s meal. Recipes and ideas for purchasing/using local foods would also
be made available to encourage folks to support other vendors. A chalkboard lists the local foods
used and where (who) they came from.
Do other prepared foods vendors know this is happening? Yes, they checked with Ludovina’s
and 4 Seasons Catering, and both businesses are supporting of the effort.
They are looking for permission to continue selling at the Holiday Market – granted.
They will be applying for a season long spot in 2013. There are some questions about the need
for kitchen inspection. They had asked Chris Salyer about inspection, and he said that because
they are not selling the product, they need not be inspected. Does selling something by donation
qualify as “not selling”? Is the AFM at risk by allowing non-kitchen-inspected prepared foods
for sale (or donation) at the Market?
More discussion is warranted.
Meeting adjourned.
Next Meeting:
Monday, January 7 @ 6:30 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church