Union Square Farmers Market is a thrilling annual event organized by the Union Square Main Streets, which is definitely worth a shot.
Union Square Main Streets is an organization that works for the betterment of locals in Union Square. It offers them various opportunities to establish businesses to attract maximum customers that help uplift the sale rate to a great extent while promoting healthy relations with the people around them.
Out of its many services and offerings, the Unions Square Farmers Market is a well-known and successful one. It is a great place to get fresh, juicy, and enticing food while maintaining the variety, quality, affordable rates, and joy. If you are interested in this market’s details and want to have a quick overview, you are at the right place. So, let us help you explore and know more about it.
Purpose of Establishing the Union Square Farmers Market
This market has been a visiting place for many years and a center of people’s interest in shopping and businesses. This year, its 17th annual event is happening and is being loved and cherished by lots of people around. In time, it became the hub of farmers, bakers, and fishers.
On the one hand, it is a beneficial location for promoting and trading the farmer’s products. While on the other, it is the most convenient place for locals to visit and buy delicious kitchens, bakeries, and seafood items. The Union Square Main Streets thought of this project to support the agricultural community and increase the farmer’s economy. The public is encouraged to participate in all the festivities, events, and joyful celebrations at this Farmers Market annual event.
Union Square Farmers Market as A Collective Serviceable Business Market
Union Square Farmers Market is not only reliable and fun but also a fundamental spot to buy food while participating in exciting activities. Don’t think of it as a random grocery market for buying and selling. It is actually an entire organization that supports the deserving people while encouraging a healthy and joyful environment in the place. These people belong to both categories, i.e., producers and buyers.
One of the vital functions of Union Square Farmers Market is the development of rural farmers and the agricultural industry. This organization supports the need to eliminate the city’s hunger problems and food crises by using the net profit of all sales made by the shoppers.
During the pandemic, organizations like SNAP, Good Food For All, and these annual events helped ensure food accessibility to the public. Last but not least, you can see this place is also a refreshment center for many locals who get a chance to enlighten their mood at the weekends after the hectic jobs of working days.
The Healthy Products at Union Square Farmers Market
This place/event is famous for its freshly produced seasonal products, including vegetables, fruits, bakery items, herbs, meat, flowers, cereals, seafood, honey, maple syrup, beverages, and many more. You can purchase them in small amounts as well as in wholesale too.
The other admirable thing about this market is the reasonable rates which don’t make you pay fortunes for a bunch of healthy food items.
The freshly transported items can make your day if you are someone who prefers natural foods. So you don’t have to be concerned about the hygiene of food while buying it directly from stalls or farmers at this market. These food items are completely natural, fresh, and pure because they are directly delivered from the farms. The quality, price, and freshness of these products have never ceased to entice people.
Some people find it is so amusing to reach out at the food stalls in open streets and pick the items of their choice. The smell in the environment and the variety of colors play a great role in keeping the attendees happy and fresh.
Union Square Farmers Market is also an eye-catching place for many tourists. Its variety in food, the fresh soil smell in the air, and reasonable prices are the main reasons the tourists feel obligated to come and pay a visit here.
It is not just a place to buy stuff. Since its establishment, Union Square Farmers Market has been considered a lovely meet-up spot where people come, attend events, and enjoy to the fullest. It is now a renowned place for weekly outings. You will find intriguing activities, company advertisements, and lots of new strategies for businesses here.
So, to some extent, these tourists are the source of promotion for these markets and the whole Union Square Main Street project. The variety of people belonging to every class, age, group, and gender come together and make it all worthwhile.
Business Planning and Investments
In Massachusetts, New York, and other places, these markets are a core business for farmers, but other people can also gain profit by collaborating with these farmers. These people directly purchase different items from different farmers and sell in the collected form to give variety to the customer at the same stall. With the passage of time, these businesses are getting promoted and becoming profitable.
Plus, they are not only profitable for people but make a handsome contribution to the economy too. Union Square Farmer Market has become one of the most important markets concerning business, healthy products, tourists’ spots, and public interests. Several investments are made annually so that farmers can get privilege and value to stand among other established businesses. This all is also helping rural areas to develop and progress through the market rate values.
Union Square Farmers Market is definitely an excellent place for both grocery shopping and business. It can satisfy you whether you are a customer or seller. It is the hub of fresh juicy food items with healthy nature, sold in a hygienic environment. A client never turns back disappointed because the farmers and the small businesses altogether offer plenty of goodies.
Moreover, it also affects the economy of the country with the opportunity of expansion in the business. In the age of processed and fermented foods, it is a market serving the public natural and pure substances. If you have not visited this place yet, you should buckle up and at least go to have a look around.
This market has set records after getting 60,000 customers every Saturday. The large crowd consists of people, including tourists, working people, women, children, and even students. In a nutshell, the Union Square Farmers Market is a centerpiece with various services available for locals and travelers from all across the world.
The significant change that is seen in 2021 is the events that have started taking place after a long COVID break. These events range from live music concerts, cooking demos, book promotions, beverages corners, and many more. It is a place you can pass by while enjoying your drink and snacks and can also prepare a big dinner party.
Each year, the market becomes more happening and exciting. In 2021, the 17th annual event is taking place now at Somerville Ave, Massachusetts. You can become a part of it in different ways. For example,
- By signing up for a business stall (if you run any).
- Going as a tourist or a local to roam around and have fun.
- Volunteering and helping the management organize the entire event.
Become a Volunteer – Become a Part
This market is crucial for promoting local food fetched by vendors, farmers, and shoppers. After the pandemic of Covid-19, now the market needs more volunteers. It would be great to come back and join such a platform, especially after the last two years. Due to the lockdown, the market’s sale rate was below the average. So, now by volunteering and enthusiastically promoting the products, you can help it regain its position.
If you are not sure about having free time for it, its hours range from 9 AM to 1 PM every Saturday. So basically, it is a great way to spend your weekend, or to be precise, a part of your weekend because, like every volunteer, you will also have to do a shift of only two hours approximately. This time division will give equal opportunity to every volunteer to participate and promote their product (if they have any).
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the successor to Food Stamps) played a significant role when they found that food was inaccessible at USMA due to the catastrophic effects of Covid-19 last year. From June 22 to 29, a campaign, ‘Good Food For All,’ was run to support SNAP. Under the watch of Union Square Main Street, the Union Square Farmers Market has been benefiting from this program for the past 14 years.
Customers support the market by purchasing food from local businesses, and these businesses fund the SNAP. This funding through SNAP helps low-income families to come and buy food from this market. About 9.5% of families rely on this campaign for survival. In the last year, even though SNAP was unable to support the deserving people, a program “Good Food For All” helped SNAP match the needs of Union Square’s people. You can also become a part of it.
Covid-19 Protocol Survey
Union Square Farmers Market strives to check the hygienic environment of the farmers market. Various things were made complimentary regardless of the vaccination status. It ensured public satisfaction and the restrictions of wearing the mask and using hand sanitizer. According to the facts and figures of a survey, 76.6% of masks and 84% of hand sanitizers implications are being followed to keep the customers and farmers safe from viruses. These satisfactory figures are pretty relieving for the audience to visit the market safely. Through the pandemic season, the importance of this market is resilient as it provides dense nutrients to keep the body and immune system fit to fight all germs and viruses, particularly the coronavirus.
In another effort to follow the social distancing protocol, the market shifted the location at Somerville Avenue between Carlton and Hawkins Sts. in the open air. According to the complaints, unfortunately, it has become a hurdle for traffic and vehicles, but the search for a new location continues. Until then, the management is trying its best not to create problems for the public.
Maintaining Privacy and Integrity
The photographs and videos used for advertising purposes on website pages, postcards, newspapers, Facebook, Instagram, and other media platforms are authentic and used to show the hospitality of the market for its customers. These images also introduce upcoming projects, organizations, or product launching services. Even in this situation, the Union Square Farmers Market doesn’t disappoint and maintains the integrity of people who don’t want their pictures posted or shared online.
To prohibit the distribution of your pitchers, you can inform Union Square Main Streets, PO Box 1, Somerville, MA 02143 in writing. (Or email them at usms@unionsquaremain.org).
Safe Transportation, A Big Issue
The only problem for the Union Square Farmers Market in New York is the distance between the farms and the market. Some agricultural farms are usually far, making the transportation process difficult for the farmers. The transport expenses are the actual headache, and as a result, net profit, in the end, can drop.
Traveling time if too long to cover then freshness of food products can be lost, and in the end, you receive overly ripen food ingredients. In the vehicles, food items can get rotten because of no fresh air and ventilation facilities. However, if the transport is made safe then surely you can enjoy your fresh and sustainable products. All these problems are taken into concern by Union Square Main Street, so you need not worry about any of them.
The Bottom Line
The Union Square Farmers Market has indeed been a fruitful project in various ways. The idea and the entire plan behind its launch need to be highly appreciated. The fact how this platform has become a source of usefulness for so many families and people makes it all even more exciting and fun.