Market’s Rosen Goes Out a Winner
Volunteers get ready for the first Swarthmore Farmers Market of the 2020 season. The market is an all-volunteer effort. Photo: Andy Rosen
Back in March, the volunteers who coordinate the Swarthmore farmers market wondered how they were going to run an outdoor market in a world turned upside down by a global pandemic. 2019 had been the market’s best year, whether measured by the number of visitors or by vendor sales. But how to keep people coming to shop in the time of COVID? Maybe the market could somehow work as a drive through?
That was then.
Now, the market has been voted Best of Delco in the Delaware County Daily Times’ annual poll.
Andy Rosen has managed the Swarthmore Farmers Market since 2015. It was recently voted Best of Delco. Photo: Josh Cohen
It’s also having a pretty decent season, according to operations manager Pat Francher. Last year, it saw an average of nearly 800 shoppers per week. This year, even though hours have been cut in half, it has still drawn about 350 visitors per week — recently closer to 400. That’s about the same as back in 2016.
This year, with safety a top priority, only 35 shoppers are permitted at a time. There are no food trucks, hand sanitizer is abundantly available, and shoppers are encouraged to pre-order. (Back in June, when the market started up, pre-ordering was the only option.)
It’s not just the high quality of the food, but also the vendors’ sense of commitment, that makes Swarthmore’s market special, according to Shannon Elliott, its marketing and social media manager. Last spring, many vendors figured out how to set up online ordering systems, and some even made deliveries to customers’ doorsteps. “Their dedication and love of what they do brings our customers back each week,” Elliott says.
Francher, for his part, is proud that the market is run entirely by volunteers. “We have no paid staff,” he notes. Instead, a core committee works year-round, and a rotation of 25-30 community members shows up on Saturdays to help.
Market Manager Andy Rosen is thrilled that his team has been able to run the market safely in the midst of the pandemic. Even with vendors and shoppers in masks — and even though lingering to chat is discouraged — people have reported feeling a sense of community at the market. It has, he says, “provided a sense of normalcy that is missing almost everywhere else.”
Rosen will step down from his position at the end of this season, his sixth. “He’s an amazing leader, and we are sad to see him go,” Elliott says.
But she’s glad he’ll finally get some free time.
The 2020 Swarthmore Farmers Market will run through Saturday, November 21.
More information. To volunteer, email francher_pat@yahoo.com.
