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Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Hold Two Farmers' Markets Per Week This Summer

Posted on: Tuesday, 28 March 2006, 21:00 CST

By Jon Ericson, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Mar. 28--CEDAR FALLS -- Downtown Cedar Falls will play host to two farmers' markets per week this summer.

The city has long had a farmers' market on Saturday mornings near Overman Park and City Hall.

A second, smaller farmers' market, known as Black Hawk Farmers' Market, has operated in the parking lot of the Earl May Nursery and Garden Center near Black Hawk Village on Wednesday afternoons. Now the Wednesday affair will also move downtown, taking up residence in a parking lot outside the Broom Factory restaurant.

Vendors from the market sought a location that could generate more traffic. And Community Main Street, the downtown merchants' association, had been asking them to consider a move for years.

"We wanted a spot that had more visibility and access to the public," said Greg Hoffman, one of the vendors.

They plan on having the market from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from June through October.

While the University Avenue site of Earl May sees plenty of traffic, the business is set well back from the road, limiting the visibility. In addition, the vendors noted the University Avenue median has some negative effect on drawing business as well.

The Broom Factory site will have better visibility to the intersection of First and Main streets.

"The Broom Factory we thought would be the best as far as visibility and, we hope, parking," said market vendor Denise Hoffman.

The Wednesday farmers' market usually has six vendors. Denise Hoffman said five of the six vendors had been looking for a change in location.

Her husband, Greg, said the farmers' market will likely have the same number of vendors as always this year.

"I think in the future it will be a chance for expansion," he said.

In addition, the market had been limited in selling some items at the Earl May location. For example, Earl May also sells plants and pumpkins, so the market was not allowed to sell those items. With the new location, the vendors won't have such limits.

The parking lot where the market will locate is owned by the Broom Factory. However, the lot was purchased by the Broom Factory from the city with the stipulation that it would be used only for off-street parking and would remain open at all times to the general public. A City Council committee on Monday granted the exception to that rule, and established a $1 annual fee for the farmers' market to use the property.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

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Source: Waterloo Courier

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