Field Work:
Virginia has over 100 Farmer’s Markets spanning across the state (Virginia.org). Many are easy to access and are in the center of a city. For my fieldwork, I attended five different markets throughout Virginia: South of the James in Richmond, Chesapeake Farmer’s Market, Reston Farmer’s Market, Downtown Charlottesville Farmer’s Market, and Old Beach Farmer’s Market in Virginia Beach. I took random surveys throughout the markets. From the survey, most people were from the city of which was hosting or from another part of Virginia. Most people also attend every week or every other week, making the market a part of their routine. When asked why they choose Farmer’s Markets rather than convenient grocery stores, most of the customer answers had something to do with the experience of it all. There is something about walking around outdoors and being able to chat with vendors about their products make it worthwhile. Some said they will stop by every vendor just to talk, even if they do not use the sort of product that is being sold. When asked about sustainability, people were aware of the effects of shopping local but they still believed the experience was the most valuable thing about shopping at these markets.
I then focused on the idea of consumerism. Why do people buy certain things and where can I find the effects or evidence of this? The evidence is clearest in the amount of vendors. Throughout my trip, I kept track of how many of each type of vendor there was. For example, how many produce vendors, floral vendors, clothing vendors, food trucks, etc. The most common vendor throughout was food and produce but of these two, there was much more random food items such as bread, chocolates, drinks, etc. This was not a surprise as there are so many different food items one can make. Many vendors focused on one item such as an Irish bread bakery that was one of my favorites or a soap making company. When comparing the specific markets that I attended, the Virginia Beach Market was the largest and had the most diverse groups of vendors. Chesapeake had the smallest and the least diverse groups of vendors. The South of the James Market had the most scenic with having to cross a bridge over the James River to get there. Charlottesville had a mix of everything. I saw families as well as many college students. The Reston Market had the most family attraction; there were many more families compared to the other three markets. So what attracted different groups? South of the James had a much younger crowd with little to no children. I found this interesting but accurate because walking the streets of Richmond you often find hipster adults or college students. Reston is one of the safest cities in Virginia, so it was no surprise that there were so many families. It is also very “suburbia” which means that more middle-class families will live there and when an attraction is seen, will go there without a doubt and with the entire family. Old Beach had mostly single people that were middle-aged. The amount of single people may have been due to the very limited amount of space there is to walk around the vendors. Chesapeake had a few families present, but it was mostly middle-aged women. If one is picky about Farmer’ Market, he or she must look into the location of the market as each city differs depending on location. With the location in mind, one can then figure out how many people will be here and which types of people. If you don’t want to run into Karen and her four kids, find a market that is in a more popular city and not in the middle of a rural area.
With these in mind, market safely and support local businesses.
The Story of Farmer's Markets 