Indiana Correspondent

FORT WAYNE, Ind. —The Fort Wayne Farmers QMarket has remained open during the coronavirus pandemic to allow vendors to continue to sell their products, a market official said.

“Things don’t stop on the farm,” explained Bridjet Musser, market master. “Animals and plants keep producing. Our vendors were concerned about offering farm pickup because they didn’t want the exposure to their farms (for health reasons). We’re offering a space for small businesses to continue to sell.” 

Billed as northeast Indiana’s only year-round producer market, the market normally has more than 40 vendors. During the pandemic, market officials are limiting vendors to those selling food or hygiene products. The remaining vendors will return once the outbreak is over, she said. Current available food products include bakery, meats and canned goods.

The market operates indoors from October to May at Parkview Field, home of the city’s minor league baseball team. It is scheduled to begin its outdoor season this year in downtown Fort Wayne on May 16. It’s open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays.

Market officials are taking steps to try to protect customers and vendors. The staff is limiting the number of people inside at one time and hand sanitizer is available. Vendors may wear gloves and masks. Entrance, exit and restroom doors are sprayed with Microban, a product designed to protect surfaces for 24 hours, Musser said.

It may be harder to limit access for customers once the market moves outdoors, she noted. “The goal is to be outside on the 16th. Outside, people go behind the vendor areas. We can really control that better inside. If we have to, we’ll just extend our season there. But as it gets warmer, more people are going to want to be outside. We are a community and we get used to seeing our community there.”

The market normally averages about 850 adult customers weekly, Musser said. In March, they averaged about 400. There were 350 April 4.

“When things started to happen (with the coronavirus) the first couple weeks of March, we had numbers in the 900s,” she stated. “Farmers were going home to get more items to bring to the market. A lot of people were stocking up with meats and vegetables. I think people are now truly limiting their exposure as much as possible. Some are probably contacting vendors directly.”

The market opened in Oc. 2012 at Parkview Field and moved outdoors for the first time the following spring. It started as a monthly event before going weekly four years ago. The site provides restrooms, heat and ample parking, Musser said.

“A lot of farmers growing vegetables or with animals didn’t have the means to do a working market,” she noted. “No one had done an indoor market successfully in Fort Wayne. The market has grown every year.”