Downtowns see hope in healthy farmers markets

Whether a cluster of tables under umbrellas, or more elaborate settings with performers and give-aways, farmers markets are increasingly seen as social centers that can generate significant foot traffic.

“For every $1 spent at a farmers market, another $1 is spent on something else in the community,’’ said Hannah Thomas Freedberg, development and outreach director for the Massachusetts Farmers Market Federation. “People say, ‘OK, I have fruit and vegetables, now I need rice, and, oh yeah, I need toilet paper.’ ’’

And while they’re at it, they may stop for coffee and browse in a specialty shop, she added.

People are hungry for fresh food and the closeness of community, according to the federation. While there were 96 farmers markets around the state in 2004, this season there are almost 240, with more opening every day, according to the federation.

Take Walpole, where a new market meets on Wednesdays in the municipal parking lot across from Stone Field in the center of town. From 3 to 8 p.m., rain or shine, an array of fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, teas, spices, and art and craft items are available for purchase every week.

The mission is to provide locally grown food direct from farmers while also beefing up Walpole Center’s customer base, said the town’s economic development officer, Stephanie Mercandetti.

“One of the priorities given to me by the selectmen was downtown revitalization,’’ said Mercandetti. “Walpole has popular one-day events, from Walpole Day to the July 4 parade. But we needed to think of long-term ways to bring people in.’’

Mercandetti is working to fill a handful of vacant storefronts in the central business district, where a very disappointed Bill Norwood, who opened Dick and Jane’s General Store last year in the renovated Printworks building on Main Street, said he fears he will be the next to go.

“We chose Walpole because we felt the community would come out and support us,’’ said Norwood, a California native whose store offers everything from old-style candy and fudge to toys and kid-friendly, retro TV shows on big screens. “But we wouldn’t do it again.’’

Norwood, who chairs the local farmers market committee, said business plummeted a month after he opened. Now, 70 percent of his receipts come via out-of-town customers, from Foxborough, Wrentham, Norwood, Boston, and even Dedham, where he is seeking a new location.

“We can’t figure it out,’’ Norwood said. “We have a very unique presence and presentation, and we ship all over the world. But people compare us with CVS.’’

By locating the farmers market centrally, he said, he hopes other Walpole businesses will benefit from an uptick in shopping.

In Dedham, the three-year-old market benefits from its visibility from Providence Highway, where prospective shoppers crane to see what’s going on in the tents at Eastern Avenue and High Street each Wednesday.

“We continue to remind people that it does matter where you spend your money,’’ said Amy Haelson, a member of Dedham Square Circle, a business group that promotes the retail district. “These businesses will stay here if we go to them.’’

A similar market in Norwood, where it has been operating for 15 years, is open Tuesdays in the Apollo parking lot off Cottage Street. There are also markets in Brockton, Carver, Kingston, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Middleborough, Pembroke, and Quincy, among at least 20 in area communities.

In Plymouth, a market held on Thursdays at Stephen’s Field on Route 3A attracted so many shoppers that downtown store owners asked three years ago to start one up closer to them. The result was a Saturday market on the 1820 Courthouse Green that adds regular musical performances to the traditional array of fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, eggs, honey, bread, and pies for the 19-week season.

“The tricky thing with our downtown is that it has turned into a gift location,’’ said markets coordinator Barbara Anglin. “It doesn’t have services you need as a resident.’’

That’s where the market comes in, said Chris Pratt, a member of the Plymouth Growth and Development Corporation, and owner of the Painted Lady shop on Court Street.

“Downtown Plymouth doesn’t have a grocery store,’’ said Pratt, who runs the Saturday market. “This is an alternative.’’

It is also the glue that promotes a sense of community, she said. “I have to find someone on Saturday to cover my shop so I can run the market. But I do it because it’s a positive contribution to downtown.’’

Freedberg, at the statewide federation, said whatever the reason that people respond to farmers markets, what matters is that they do.

“You buy what you need, rather than what you think you need,’’ she said. “And you have a conversation with the person standing next to you.’’

And then community revitalization happens, she said.

“You have hundreds of people on a Saturday who afterward go to a local café or restaurant and grab lunch,’’ she said. “That’s almost universally appealing and friendly.’’

A list of the state’s farmers markets is available online at www.massfarmersmarkets.org. Michele Morgan Bolton can be e-mailed at mmbolton1@verizon.net.