The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Marketing our own
Farmer's Market offers Dexter products
By Jacqueline Smith, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: May 29, 2008
Kris Ernst sets up her stand of handcrafted sterling silver jewelry on Saturday at the Dexter Farmer's Market. Ernst is making her first visit as a vendor to the ever-growing market in downtown Dexter.
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Now a part of the ensemble of vendors along Alpine Street, Ernst says she expects to do well, especially later in the summer as the market continues to grow - both in products available and number of visitors - after starting just three weeks ago.
An independent representative for Silpada Designs, Ernst admits the job comes easy and with plenty of benefits. She often runs home shows and at times earns merchandise for herself for free.
"People can't believe that I may sit there, have a glass of wine and go home with three or four hundred dollars in cash," she said. "It's a classy line of jewelry...It caters to a fashion-conscious crowd."
For other vendors, including several who have been part of the market since it started three years ago, the success of sales depends on an array of factors.
Brenda Tuscano, administrative assistant to the Village of Dexter, says the area's construction of Main Street might be a main deterrent for folks trying to access the market. Other factors include weather and visibility, something Tuscano hopes to clear up by getting the word out.
"With the road closed the town is kind of slow," she said. "Our biggest thing is to let people know we're here. We're hoping for positive feedback."
Tod More mans a collection of plants, mostly perennials, for Farmer's Market. He has grown his own plants on a quarter acre of his property for the past five years. It's a venture, he says, that takes time.
"I propagate (plants) one year and sell them the next," he said. "To build them up, it's taken three years to get up to speed."
Because it is still early in the season for the market, More says he knows what sells well will differ based on what is in bloom, confessing that "it's got to be in bloom to sell."
Facing a similar situation, Sue Aeschliman vends greens and cut flowers. Later in the summer she offers other privately grown products such as zucchini and squash. However, that is not what she says sells the most.
"People come back for the greens," said Aeschliman, who also occasionally sells plants.
For a product that never goes out of season, Bertie Hubbard and Angie Richardson-Smith have frequently marketed their homemade goods. From jars of jelly to cookies and pies, Hubbard's "license to bake" has helped the two present products that take a couple of days to prepare.
"I've been in food services for a very long time," Hubbard said. "It's something I've always enjoyed."
Saturday's set of vendors sold a number of other goods such as chicken products, rings faceted around buttons, produce, snacks, crocheted apparel, and lip and body balm.
Tuscano says the number of Farmer's Market Saturday vendors and what they sell will increase as the summer wears on, and hopefully, the number of customers will too.
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