Let’s Go Shopping…

The farmers’ market that is walkable to my home is quite quaint compared to farmers’ markets in the Northern Virginia area. That doesn’t deter me nor, it seems, the large number of patrons who descend on the market each week. The farmers’ market is in the parking lot within a tucked away neighborhood park. The park is a hidden gem in itself, consisting of newly refurbished baseball field, soccer field, bathroom facilities, hiking trails, playground, and a turtle pond.

What makes the popularity of this market surprising is the timing. This farmers’ market is open only on Thursdays between 8am and 12pm. With a time window such as this, its clear that retirees and stay at home moms/dads were heavily targeted. Now, due to the pandemic, I’ve noticed a younger crowd has emerged – the professionals working remote and are taking a break at the market. (Its worth noting that I am making an educated guess on the age and occupational status of the market’s patronage. I was not able to conduct interviews during my reconnaissance of the farmers’ market, only observations from my numerous visits.)

Another assumption of mine is that most of the people milling around the market’s red and white pop-up tents are from the neighborhood and are frequent customers. This is obvious at the Frenchman’s Bread Basket stall. There is usually a line for his delicious breads and pastries, and its common for people on the line to talk about how much they loved what they purchased the week before.

Either by design or a great coincidence, the “Traveling Shepard” is across the lot from the ‘Frenchman’. Serving deliciously brewed coffee and teas, and refreshing artisan iced teas, the Frenchman’s bread line can stay well refreshed (and awake) while they wait. The gentleman behind the “Traveling Shepard” is very religious, as one can gather from the biblical figurines on his car’s dashboard and the cross on his business cards. Nonetheless, he serves his customers in a secular fashion not bringing religion into his brew.

That cannot be said about the tent at the entrance of the farmers’ market where the county Republicans have set up shop. They are very vocal about their political beliefs utilizing large signage and giving out handouts as people enter.

In between the political tent at the entrance and the bread and brew at the end of the market, there are a several stalls from local farms. Their set ups of fresh produce are beautifully displayed against the backdrop of their open trucks. Though the farms have similar items, each of them has their own unique offering like homemade jams, sauces, pies, quiches, etc. I visited each stall, and every one of the vendors were pleasant and proud of their product.

It is also worth noting that I am one of the neighborhood repeat customers, so my conclusions may be different than a first time observer. I would welcome that counter ethnography to see the similarities or differences.