It’s been a month since the Cornwall Farmers’ Market fell under the purview of the Town of Cornwall Recreation Department and new manager Erin O’Dell says things are going great. The winter market is already expanding with more vendors on the way.
The market currently has a total of 14 vendors, for the month of December, with another two or three additional expected for the new year.
O’Dell said she has been reaching out to vendors. She’s also been receiving help from current vendors who pass the word along at other markets in the area.
Items offered at the market have included meats, cheeses, Italian food, jams, jellies, and pies. Recently added have been Twisted Jeanne’s, which offers pretzel rolls and croissants, Country Grill Cafe, which offers baked goods and a variety of other items, as well as Origins Food Photography, which creates coasters and other gifts out of food photos.
The increase in vendors has forced O’Dell to expand it to both sides of Munger Cottage. She said there’s room to comfortably squeeze in at least five or six more vendors.
“We’ll get as many as we can just to make it great for our community,” she said.
Despite some morning sleet and snow on Dec. 6, O’Dell has praised the foot traffic to the market. However, there is room for improvement, she said. Since moving from St. John’s Episcopal Church to Munger Cottage, those coming from out of town have been having trouble finding the new location. Munger Cottage is located behind the Cornwall Public Library to the left of the Little League fields. Come January, O’Dell plans to provide better signage.
During her first month as manager, O’Dell said her main goal was to expand the market. Now that she’s succeeded she said she can focus her attention on increasing foot traffic. Two simple ways are through community relations and the market’s Facebook page.
O’Dell hopes special events will help draw more crowds. A soup contest is in the works for January. Local chefs have agreed to provide food demonstrations. Some of the vendors have also expressed interest in conducting demonstrations.
The arts and crafts station, which was to entertain children while parents shopped, has been temporarily scaled back. O’Dell said not many children frequent the market, but she thinks that will change come summer when students are home from school. Although monthly crafts aren’t being featured, coloring pages are provided.
The farmers’ market is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of every month through the month of May.
