Summer 2019 Issue
CELEBRATING MIRACLES
Each spring, with the winds of March, I get the brash idea to turn my backyard into a full-on mini-farm. I picture obedient rows. Organic strawberries. Defiant sta...
TIDBITS
Trenton, New Jersey Farmers' Market - A New Day for a Long-Running Farmers Market
The red, 15-foot sign above the Trenton Farmers Market is a familiar sight for shoppers. But over the last few months, a friendly new face has become familiar at the historic indoor market, which is actually located in Lawrence Township.
Chris Cirkus has taken on the role of market manager. Prior to accepting this position, Cirkus managed the West Windsor Community Farmers’ market and the Greenwood Avenue Farmers’ market in Trenton and held a part-time position with the Farm-to- School program for the NJ Department of Agriculture.
Initially, Cirkus had been brought in by the board as a consultant, to help in the job search for a new market manager to replace Jack and Marsha Ball, who had run the market for 39 years. But when the new hire didn’t work out, Cirkus realized she wanted the job herself.
“It takes everything I’m good at from the culmination of my Farmers’ market work and [puts] it all in one place,” she enthused. The board agreed, and Cirkus started in February.
Already, she’s been offered advice by longtime customers: Don’t change too much.
“It is a fine line between taking it into the future and preserving the past,” she says. “It is my job to listen and decipher what the market should be.”
Cirkus believes the Trenton Farmers Market is the longest running market in the state, with a history going back to the late 1700s. The existing structure started as several buildings along the waterfront. In the early 1900s, one was razed and two were moved to Spruce Street and then combined.
The building has undergone a deep clean, which has uncovered some gems. Historic photos are now framed and displayed in the freshly painted office. She plans to get through a full growing season before making any big changes—she wants to spend the first season observing— but she has already modernized a few things. The market’s social media has been amped up and an email newsletter started. A new logo and signage are on the horizon.
Food access is important to Cirkus. Helping individual farmers and the overall market to be able to accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits is a goal, and she's working with the USDA to make that happen. All of the market’s farmers currently accept W IC (Women, Infants, and Children) benefits.
Some new vendors in the market will appeal to changing appetites and the varied customer base. Lady and the Shallot, a gluten-free and vegan café, uses low-sodium recipes, which attract seniors as well as vegans. Savory Leaf ’s vegan ribs, mac and cheese and meatless burgers appeal to students from nearby Rider University and TCNJ. The newcomers join long-time vendors, such as Pinelands Farms and Pulaski Meats.
Cirkus is looking for ways to add more communal seating so shoppers have a spot to rest and enjoy the free WiFi.
The WiFi password is # l farmersmarket. Cirkus definitely has big dreams for the space.
TRENTON FARMERS MARKET
960 Spruce St., Lawrence Township
thetrentonfarmersmarket.com
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