Closing Bell: Malcom X Farmers Market on the Ropes
So much for that momentum we wrote about a couple of weeks ago! Weak community support is threatening the viability of the new Malcom X Farmers Market within the first month of its life, according to an email being circulated from the one of the market’s organizers. The main fresh food vendor, Migliorelli Farms, just…
So much for that momentum we wrote about a couple of weeks ago! Weak community support is threatening the viability of the new Malcom X Farmers Market within the first month of its life, according to an email being circulated from the one of the market’s organizers. The main fresh food vendor, Migliorelli Farms, just announced it’s bailing on the new scene because it’s been unable to cover its labor and gas expenses to date. The problem? Not enough people are coming to the market. This is particularly distressing given how much attention is given by the press and politicians about the desperate (and very real) need for fresh food in some of our poorer communities. (The fresh food argument has been the primary rationale given by the proponents of tearing down Admirals Row to build a supermarket to serve the surrounding housing projects.) Bottom line: If you care about preserving this incredible amenity in the neighborhood, you better vote with your feet and your wallet on Saturday. Otherwise, to paraphrase the organizer’s email, you’ll be proving the haters wrong who said Bed Stuy couldn’t support a farmers market. Don’t let that happen. The Malcom X Farmers Market is held on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1p.m. in front of Jackie Robinson Park on Malcom X Boulevard between Marion and Chauncey Streets
Come Support the Malcolm X Community Market!!! [Bed Stuy Blog]
Photo by Ultraclay
Whether or not farmers’ markets accept food stamps isn’t as important as the perceived payout you get. If it costs, say, $2 for a pint of blueberries at most places and it costs $3 at a B/S farmer’s market, it doesn’t matter that it usually costs $4 at Union Square. Some people are getting only around $100 a month in EIC. Why would you ‘waste’ even $2 of that purchasing power for regular blueberries when the same $2 buys you a big box of Crunchie-os? This calculus carries with many people well into salaries approaching 2500/month.
I grew up in a money-poor household (didn’t realize it at the time!) and while my parents made an effort to keep fruit in the house, they never would have gone to a farmer’s market. Going to Chinatown for a box of mangoes was a luxury that happened twice a year.
To this day, it bewilders them that people regularly spend more for such ephemeral things as ‘locally-grown’ and ‘organic’. For them, at best, these are ‘would be nice’. No way you trade precious purchasing power for ‘would be nice’.
No one should have kidded themselves that a farmers market would be automatically embraced by the people who most need to eat more healthily. Maybe if fruit/veggie prices for EIC users were 60% off it would better accomplish stated goals.
My girlfriend and I were very excited about it, so last weekend went we walked over to Malcolm X to be greeted by the single tent “Farmer” Market we were mildly amused.
We stocked up on fruits and veggies including a 2 or 3 dollar bunch of mixed greens that still had some dirt on the stalks so it was definitely locally grown.
If the one Farmer leaves, there is no market.
They maybe should just relocate to the Youth Market / Flea Market thing on Lewis/Decatur across from Peaches and Bread Stuy. There’s where your upscale “farmers market demographic” foot traffic is.
Denton,
I honestly could give two shits about organic or “green”. My main concern is food equity. I want to be able to get the same quality food in Bed Stuy that I can find on the Upper East Side. Farmer’s markets may be de rigeur to you but for many,farmer’s markets are just how you bought your food where you lived-whether that be the south or a country in Africa or the Caribbean or how many other places in the world. Do I think its a bit skewed that the idea of knowing where your food is grown and who produced it is ‘trendy’? Yes. Do I think being “green” is so cool that I should be willing to compromise my health just to be chic? Um, no. I just want to be able to walk outside in my own community and buy quality food. If the Fine Fare was importing produce from 5,000 miles away and it was fresh, lasted longer than 2 days, and was in good condition, I’d be their biggest supporter.
I like my packaged food to remain packaged by the inspected factory facility that produced it. If and when I choose to buy something unpackaged, I’m fine with it. Otherwise if I’m buying something sealed, I expect that it was done so in a controlled inspected environment with products that are safe for food to be near. Not random hardware store glue by an employee of a store trying to cut corners. If the package was faulty, they can return it to the distributor.
Obviously you’re missing the idea that people would expect their supermarkets to have a level of quality control that would have them think twice about potentially poisoning customers to make a small profit off a 1 dollar box of pasta instead of returning faulty product to their distributor.
“3.I live in the area and while there are supermarkets, most are pretty awful. I actually saw an employee of the Fine Fare near me GLUE back a box of pasta to go back on the shelf so that’s all I’ll say about that.”
I must be dense, or you are not explaining properly…
So, there was a box of pasta, one of the flaps came unglued. Someone re-glued the flap and put it back on the shelf. Am I reading this right? If not, I apologize.
If I am, you would have the employee throw the pasta in the garbage, cuz the box came unglued? This is green, right? This is locavore, organic, whatever phrase of the week. This really seems like a bad joke–someone throws a box of pasta in the garbage cuz the flap came unglued and it’s a horrible thing. And that’s he way you like it.
But obviously I am missing something.
As someone who volunteers at the market and has been there every week since its opened, I’d like to offer up some more information and some clarification. I didn’t expect this to get 40+ comments deep but I should have expected it from Brownstoner :).
1. The market will go on if Migliorelli decides not to return. The Brooklyn Rescue Mission’s main focus is food equity and justice and things will not stop if Migliorelli bails. The BRM wants a quality vendor and Migliorelli was one of the very few willing to come to the market. Other vendors will be put in their place the the BRM also runs a farm that produces food that can be sold (which is actually how the market started last year) but its an issue of maintaining an sustaining what’s there . Its a blow to momentum but they will keep going. Naturally, there is a fear of losing those who have been frequenting the market and who have been pleased with the farmer/vendor. Migliorelli was actually introducing a larger selection with each week that passed and had a lot more items than they had the first week. We also added a bread vendor this past week as well.
2. Migliorelli actually lowered a lot of their prices for the Malcolm X market. Prices in their outpost at Union Square are actually higher in some cases (particularly for the fruit). I can’t really say anything to those who found it overpriced because their prices were pretty competitive with the other BK Farmer’s Markets and lower than what price in Union Square.
3.I live in the area and while there are supermarkets, most are pretty awful. I actually saw an employee of the Fine Fare near me GLUE back a box of pasta to go back on the shelf so that’s all I’ll say about that. I schelp my stuff from Manhattan and when I’m lucky to have access to a car I go to Fairway in Red Hook. Not that I’ve found the prices at the Malcolm X Market to be higher than Fairway (with the exception of the fruit), but I’d gladly pay the extra 50 cents or dollar to shop for quality food in my area.
4. The Brooklyn Rescue Mission is very well aware of the income bands in the area. The market accepts many forms of payment-FMNP, WIC, EBT, Health Bucks and Senior Bucks. Unless yuppies are copping food stamps, this isn’t something being looked at by the larger community as ‘not for them’. If anything, they are one of our biggest supporters. The same folks who come to the BRM pantry come and spend money at the market every week. That’s not easy for them, as many of them are seniors. Please check out the BRM’s website so you can get a better idea of what they’re about http://www.brooklynrescuemission.org
5.As one of the first commentors said, changing one’s food habits (and shopping habits) doesn’t come easy. The Malcolm X Market knows it can’t replace the supermarket but it can certainly give another option so these crap markets can take notice and step their game up as far as providing fresher produce.
With all this conjecture flying around, I really do hope some of you come down this Saturday. Hopefully Migliorelli does make good on their word and show up so they can see people can and will come and support the market. Its pretty easy to sit back and snark and think ‘I told you so’ if the market fails but never even lifted a finger to help support it. I know its hard to get the courage up to attempt something constructive when there’s the possibility of failure. No market, not even Union Square Market just pops up instantly and is just right. We’re only 4 weeks into this season. We really are building momentum and garnering more community support every week. If you live the area and wish to see something change with the quality and options of food in the area, come by. If you hate the market, come by and say so and tell us why. We actually do surveys of customers to see what they think-what needs improving, what products they’d like to see, etc. If I saw half the comments about Associated or C-Town or Foodtown or Met that I see about this market, we’d have great supermarkets in Bed Stuy and wouldn’t even “need” a farmer’s market.
Thanks for helping us get the word out, Brownstoner! We’ve talked to some of our customers and they heard about the market through the blog links you’ve posted up. We really appreciate it.
I grew up in Pa. Dutch country and farmers markets there are cheap cheap cheap. There’s none of that “locavore” crap…veggies in season are local, otherwise come from the usual sources (california, chile, mexico etc.) Decent poultry and beef, not necessarily free range or grass fed or whatever, but generaally from a Pa. producer.
The Greenmarket nazis in NYC like to think they’re doing us a favor by insisting that everything be single source etc. but what they’re really doing is lining the pockets of a few gentleman organic farmers. And providing fodder for foodie blogs.
I’m pretty sure B/S probably needs better and fresher produce, but I’m certain they don’t need ramps and $14 a gallon organic milk.
if the same Migliorelli from Rhinebeck – then is probably a pricier and more precious kinda farmers market.
And Dibs, there are different variety of corn and yes some from upstate are harvesting now. I have a place upstate and there are plenty of real farmer’s markets cheaper than Migliorelli. But – would be probably be nice to continue the option if that neighborhood if not a lot else to choose from.
Also – if want cheap vegetables – go to chinatown.
Hope it doesn’t close. Everybody should get all their produce from farmer’s markets they are a good deal & they help local growers & the food is much better than the cloned stuff at the market.
And by the way (to follow up), I never shop at the Farmer’s Market anyway, which is a COMPLETE RIPOFF. I get off my butt, get on my bike and go to any number of other places not too far away from Bed Stuy where good food can be found. And you can even jump in your SUV and get there (probably, by my observation, blocking the bike lane in process).