I am new at this-very new. I have some marketing skills (pun intended), I love local goods, and I absolutely LOVE Sheffield so I think that’s a pretty good foundation for managing the Farmers’ Market. But honestly, with a busy work schedule, two small ones at home and other miscellaneous responsibilities, the last thing I want to do is get a vendor mixed up with another…or forget what the vendor sells…or give someone wrong directions to a farm.

Luckily, I am a visual learner (and a pretty nice gal) so I was excited when the panelists at the market manager conference told everyone to “get out there and visit your vendors!”

It was so simple, yet I felt silly for not thinking about it before.

So here I am…visiting with vendors. Not only getting a tour of where they grow, harvest, bake, create, package, etc. etc. but also getting to know them. My brief stint as a journalism major (and editor-in-chief of my high school paper- The Daily Gazette-I know, you’re impressed) will come in handy for these interviews.

I hope these visits will also give you the chance to get to know our amazing vendors. That way you will have even more to talk about when you visit us this summer!

-Aretha