Downtown Farmers Market is changing direction to bring more customers on foot. The plans are going to be incorporated in the years to come.
Transcript
Gabriel Carr-Johnson: LOCAL FARMS FROM ALL OVER THE CENTRAL NEW-YORK REGION GATHER EVERY TUESDAY TO BRING THEIR GOODS TO THE FARMERS MARKET. MARKET MANAGER ROBERT TRAVERS SAYS BRINGING NEW IDEAS TO THE MARKET WOULD BRING MORE BUSINESS.
Robert Traver: I tried to get the fountain filled with cars. If we have 50 cars there’s 50 people that are going to eat lunch and possibly go through with their wives.
Carr-Johnson: The Farmers Market relies heavily on foot traffic for their business with it being so close to downtown. Changing things up every year can lead to more attention and customers coming.
Traver: Next year we want to try more events type of days.
Carr-Johnson: THE DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET IS CELEBRATING THEIR 50TH YEAR. IT is set to be open until October 11 WITH LIVE MUSIC FROM 11-30 UNTIL ONE-30.
Gabe Carr-Johnson, N-C-C News.
Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) — Market manager Robert Travers opens the road up every Tuesday at 6 a.m. in downtown Clinton Square for the weekly food market. Although lately traffic has been slow, Travers finds ways to bring people in.
For a period of time, the Clinton Square fountain was broken, meaning it was empty. Travers wanted to use this to his advantage.
“I tried to get the fountain filled with cars. If we have 50 cars, there’s 50 people that are going to eat lunch and possibly go through with their wives,” Travers says. Although this plan fell through due to the Clinton Square fountain being repaired, he is keeping this idea tucked in his back pocket.
The Downtown Farmers Market is in its 50th year of business and does not plan on stopping any time soon. With heavy reliance on foot traffic, Travers said they have to generate better ideas to incorporate their time to use it best.
Adjusting the hours of business has been a big question over the years for Travers, after previously closing at 3 p.m. he realized the best time people walk around is during lunch time. So, he saw being open for that extra hour was doing nothing for these farmers who traveled from all over Central New York. He switched the time to finish at 2 p.m..
“Next year we want to try more events type of days,” Travers says with excitement. The market will be held weekly until Oct. 13 and will reopen next year with some of these new ideas coming to fruition.