Types of Farmers Markets

If you currently participate in a farmers market or are considering it, what characteristics define the market? What types of customers shop there? What vendors attend? What kinds of products are sold? How do customers interact with vendors?

In the publication "Collecting Characteristics of Farmers Markets", author Darlene Wolnik says, "In order to increase the quantity of successful farmers markets, organizers must be able to choose meaningful characteristics that will help them avoid the pitfalls of some of their market predecessors that included unstable vendor bases and overworked staff with too many projects on their plate. If support organizations and professional development consultants are to be successful in assisting markets in anchoring community food systems, they will need to know what works best for producers and for shoppers while always remembering that markets also need to exist within a larger system of municipal policies and retail trends."

Wolnik describes 5 different types of markets:

1. A flagship market is "designed to assist the efforts of the larger food or civic community and therefore, its shopping base is not necessarily drawn from the area surrounding the market." 

2. A boutique market is " designed to support surrounding neighborhoods, this type is often restricted to the type of local food producers that are not found in industrial food outlets such as supermarkets."

3.  A staple market is "seen more often in other countries and in some immigrant-friendly communities in the U.S. It is focused on offering a complete shopping experience with products and services beyond local food."

4. A food security market is "embedded within a low-income community and designed to serve that community."

5. A campus market is "designed to serve the community within an enclave. Examples may include a hospital, military installation or an academic institution."

Check out the publication to read more about each market type.