Happenings at Lakewood Farmers Market July 28

Lakewood Farmers Market Saturday, July 28 10AM - 1PM   Join us this Saturday, July 28th at the Lakewood Farmers Market (LFM) from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in City Center Plaza, right in front of Marc's on Detroit and Cook. The Downtown Lakewood Business Alliance sends a different local business to have 'pop up shops' at the farmers market each week. This Saturday we welcome Lakewood cornerstone Geiger's Clothing and Sports! At the market this week... Vance Music Studios ~Chef Demo Gatherings Kitchen ~Geiger's Part cooking classes, part catering, part supper club, come see why Gatherings Kitchen is one of the most tasty, innovative and interesting food businesses in Lakewood! Get ready to move and groove with the students of Vance Music School. Whitefeather Meats: Bison, Chicken, Grassfed Beef, Pork and Lamb Walnut Drive Gardens: Blueberries, Corn, Peaches, Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes and more The Works by Wendy: Natural handcrafted soaps made with aromatherapy principles using the finest ingredients, pure essential oils and fresh spring water Troubadour Coffee Co: Beans, Coffee, Iced Coffee and Espresso Plant Kingdom Bakery and Snackery: Salted Hemp Seeds, Snack Bars, Goo Balls and other nutritious, energy packed, hempy goodness Peddler Bread: Artisan Bread Ohio Farm Direct Cheeses! Mad Mouth Gyro: Greek Specialty Foods Knoble Farms: Corn, Tomatoes, Onions, Zucchini, Peaches, Peppers and more Kaskey Farms: Beans, Squash, Veggies galore Judy's Oasis: Specialty Mediterranean Foods...Hoomus, Dips, Pita Chips, Spinach and Meat Pies Blaze Gourmet: Cowboy George's Famous Salsa and Hot Sauce Berry Good, Honey Hive and K&C Meats: Baked Goods, Pasta, Honey, Eggs, Chicken, Sausage Bay Branch Farm: Arugula, Chard, Kale, Mixed Lettuce, Green Onions, Red & Gold Beets and Carrots Abby's Kitchen: Apricot, Blueberry, Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Purple Raspberry, Strawberry Through Market Connect: Campbell's Popcorn, Hummingbird Creations, Mitchell's Ice Cream, The Olive Tap and Ohio City Pasta products will be offered Contact us: 216-256-7793 or lakewoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com

Copyright © 2011 Growhio, the Cleveland Farmers' Market Guild and its markets. All rights reserved.   Learn more at Growhio.

Lakewood Farmers Market Opens This Saturday June 30

Lakewood Farmers Market Opening Day...THIS SATURDAY! June 30th, 10AM - 1PM   Saturday, June 30th the Lakewood Farmers Market (LFM) will open for it’s 2012 season, providing Lakewood residents a weekend downtown destination to eat, shop, enjoy free entertainment, summertime and meet their neighbors. Join us from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in City Center Plaza, right in front of Marc's on Detroit and Cook, for seasonal fruits and veggies, jelly, cheese, meat, plants, coffee, honey, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, music, arts, chef demos and more!  At the market this week... Face Painting by Changin' Faces Fun  ~  Music by Apollo's Groove  ~  Guest Artist Brian Taylor  ~  Chef Demo with LFM Resident Chef Brian Pew, Dietary Manager and Executive Chef at the Eliza Jennings Network at 11:30 Abby's Kitchen: Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Blueberry, Tart Cherry Conserve and Strawberry Rhubarb Jams Amalfi Gardens: Four types of Garlic, Garlic Scapes, Mixed Lettuces, Onions, Radishes Bay Branch Farm: Arugula, Chard, Beets: Bull's Blood Red & Touchstone Gold Berry Good, Honey Hive and K&C Meats: Baked Goods, Pasta, Honey, Eggs, Chicken, Sausage Chutney Rolls: A cross between Indian Cuisine and Chipotle! HAPI Farms: A selection of Asian vegetables Honeyman's Honey: Honey, of course! And mint Judy's Oasis: Mediterranian Specialty item, Spinach Pie, Hoomus, Tabbouleh, Baba Ganoush, Pita Chips, Feta Dip and more L&L Knife Sharpening: Sharpening Knife, Scissors, Garden Tools Mad Mouth Gyro: Gyros, Fries, Salads Ohio Farm Direct: CHEESE! Many flavors Peddler Bread: Artisan Bread Plant Kingdom Bakery and Snackery: Salted Hemp Seeds, Snack Bars, Goo Balls and other nutritious, energy packed, hempy goodness Troubadour Coffee Co: Beans, Coffee, Iced Coffee and Espresso United Plates: Nuts about Asian Week with Thai Peanut Noodles, Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce, and Chinese Boiled Peanuts Walnut Drive Gardens: Raspberries, Blueberries, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes Whitefeather Meats: Bison, Chicken, Grassfed Beef, Pork and Lamb   Through Market Connect: Campbell's Popcorn, Hummingbird Creations, The Olive Tap and Ohio City Pasta products will be offered   Two more veggie vendors, Kaskey & Knoble Farms, starting July 7th!    In addition to providing Lakewood’s downtown a weekend community event, Lakewood Farmers Market’s mission is to create an incubation space and outlet for local entrepreneurs, from backyard growers to budding and established small food businesses. A number of vendors from previous seasons are Lakewood residents, and LFM is adding more Lakewood-owned small businesses to its vendor list each year. In conjunction with this mission, LFM is continuing its vendor assistance program during 2012 through an Ohio Department Agriculture grant withGrowhio, an organization aimed at educating consumers and increasing the demand for local food. Under the program, furnished vendor "incubator" booth space and technical assistance is available for farmers who have not vended at a farmers market before and will sell produce, herbs, honey or maple syrup. The Lakewood Farmers Market and LEAF, which takes place Thursday nights from 5:30 p.m. -  8:00 p.m. in front of the Lakewood Public Library, accept EBT and will provide a dollar-for-dollar match (up to $10) in “Produce Perks” tokens that can be used to purchase fresh produce from local farmers. The program is a partnership with Wholesome Wave and Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition. Questions about the Lakewood Market? Want to get involved? Contact us:216-256-7793 or lakewoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com!

Copyright © 2011 Growhio, the Cleveland Farmers' Market Guild and its markets. All rights reserved.   Learn more at Growhio.org.

Receive a Free Growhio T-Shirt!

Survey Market Shoppers

Receive a FREE Growhio t-shirt!

Growhio and its partner markets seek volunteers to conduct very brief in-person surveys of shoppers at 8 area farmers' markets. The surveys are designed to gauge the impact of our collaborative marketing campaign on first time and returning market visitors.

We are seeking 1 volunteer per market to conduct surveys on 5 separate market days. Volunteers who survey 6 visitors (at least 3 of which must be new visitors) per market day on 5 separate survey days will receive a free Growhio t-shirt! Volunteers are not required to stay for the the entire market - only long enough to collect the 6 surveys.

Farmers' Market	Dates	Volunteer
Broadway	Mondays 4-7p July 16, 23, 30 August 20, 27	Sign up
Coit Road	Saturdays 8a-1p July 14, 21, 28 August 18, 25	Sign up
Downtown	Fridays 11a-2p July 13, 20, 27 August 17, 24	Sign up
Gateway 105	Fridays 3-7p July 13, 20, 27 August 17, 24	Sign up
Gordon Square	Saturdays 10a-2p July 14, 21, 28 August 18, 25	Sign up
Kamm's Corners	Sundays 10a-2p July 15, 22, 29 August 19, 26	Sign up
Lakewood	Saturdays 10a-1p July 14, 21, 28 August 18, 25	Sign up
Tremont	Tuesdays 4-7p July 17, 24, 31 August 14, 21	Sign up

Alternative dates can be arranged. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Innovative Market Connector Pilot Program Addresses Local Food Challenges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Innovative Pilot Program Addresses Local Food Challenges

Service Will Connect Vendors to Three Cleveland Markets

Cleveland, Ohio – May 24^th, 2012 – Operating a farm or local food business requires entrepreneurs to possess a dauntingly diverse set of skills. Successful growing or production, accounting, sales, and marketing - including direct sales at farmers markets - are all integral. Many businesses are interested in having their product at farmers markets, but have trouble staffing a booth. Starting in June a new service will connect value-add vendor products with farmers markets. Market Connect, which will pilot at the Broadway, Kamm's Corners, and Lakewood Farmers Markets during the 2012 outdoor season, seeks to address obstacles faced by vendors and markets alike.

Market Connect was born out of the need to attract value-add vendors to the fledgling Broadway Farmers Market in Slavic Village now under the direction of Kelley Green Web, a communications and development collective which will also operate the Market Connect service. Citing staffing, logistic or financial obstacles, vendors were reportedly unable to attend the Monday evening market. Having diverse and unique market offerings is crucial to attracting and retaining a solid customer base according to seasoned managers and Kelley Green Web partners, Jenny Kelley and Christa Kraft. There are 600+ employees within the block at neighborhood anchors such as Third Federal, Metro Health, and Cleveland Central Catholic. A preview event at Third Federal on Monday, June 18^th from 11:30 am -1:30 pm will give employees and residents a sneak peek at the local food products that will be available throughout season which begins Monday, June 25^th from 4-7 pm and runs through October 24^th. Returning participants such as Green Corp, Por Bar Farms and Harvest in Christ will offer produce, and new vendors such as Bluebird Meadows will provide a variety of meats, baked goods and more while other products such as pasta, jelly, tea, coffee, olive oil and spices will initially be offered through Market Connect.

The service will act as a stepping-stone to creating a self-sustaining market. The Kamm’s Corners and Lakewood Farmers Markets, which have focused on growing new vendors from their own communities, have demonstrated that when a customer base is established, neighborhood residents see opportunity to turn their talents into a business. The service could also address issues of site management by providing an experienced staff person on site at markets as well as generate the revenue to compensate this staffer through product sale proceeds.

Collaboration between the Broadway, Kamm’s Corners and Lakewood Farmers Markets led to the natural expansion of the Market Connect pilot beyond Broadway. Kelley and Kraft each saw reasons why the service would help the other markets they operate. Vendors often work seven days a week during market season, Saturday and Sunday are especially difficult in terms of vendor / staff availability, not to mention the wages to compensate them. With many markets, including Lakewood, which begins June 30^th from 10 am – 1 pm, taking place on Saturday, vendors choose the ones that make the most logistical and financial sense for them to attend and are sometimes already covering multiple markets. In the case of the well-established Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market, which takes places every Sunday June 10^th – October 14^th from 10 am – 2 pm and is going into it’s six season with 35 vendors, a breadth of offerings exists. However, Market Connect, which will add a few highly sought after products, in conjunction with a new fee structure that incentivizes vendor attendance and enables booth subletting, will ensure that customers will have a better and more regular product selection. Further solidifying customer bases by diversifying the offerings will continue to attract neighborhood local food start-ups in both Kamm’s Corners and Lakewood.

Cooperative solutions are not a new strategy for Kelley and Kraft. Their Kelley Green Web business model is based on the concept of connecting organizations in a cohesive economically and environmentally sustainable ‘web’. The pair also volunteer as the Program Director and Engagement Director respectively along with Executive Director, Gwen Forte for Growhio, a holistic marketing, branding and informational resource for local food in the region. Through it’s website, outreach and partnerships, Growhio aspires to connect consumers to our local food system. Programs and activities include: (1) Growhio.org, a comprehensive website with information about where to buy local in Northeast Ohio, what’s in season, how to grow/farm/compost/preserve/cook, starting a local food business or project and connecting to additional resources; (2) Local Food Guide, a 30-page printed directory of farmers' markets, CSAs, farm stands and pick-your-own farms across Northeast Ohio; and (3) What’s Growing program, a collaboration with 9 area farmers’ markets (listed below).

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Jenny Kelley | Founder, Kelley Green Web | 216-526-3803

2107 West 101^st St. | Cleveland, Ohio 44102 | jenny@kelleygreenweb.com

WANTED: Market Vendors!

The Broadway, Coit Road, Downtown Cleveland, Gateway 105, Gordon Square, Kamm's Corners, Lakewood, Tremont and WOW farmers' markets are seeking vendors for the 2012 outdoor market season! Details and application information.

Each of these markets provides a neighborhood based hub of activity and gathering place for residents and visitors to enjoy entertainment, wellness outreach and of course, vendors' tasty local food offerings! These farmers' markets are an excellent venue for starting or growing your local food business. 

Vendors enjoy the benefit of a 9-market strong Growhio collaboration, which includes joint programming, marketing and promotion including:

• Distinguished market presence on Growhio.org (visited by 500 unique 
• visitors/month)
• Market billboard advertisements (9 ads reaching 3 million people)
• Growhio e-newsletters and blog posts (500 subscribers)
• Growhio social media blasts (800 followers)
• Promotion at numerous strategic events (thousands of attendees)
• Opportunity to participate in Growhio events
• Market inclusion in the Growhio Local Food Guide 
• Start-up produce, honey and maple syrup vendor assistance program
• Educational outreach

Apply today!