Permanent space for the market is still the goal
Construction work on a downtown alley this week got a bumpy start with Lawrence Farmers’ Market staff and vendors, but after some inconveniences this weekend, things should smooth out nicely.
The market pops up in the parking lots at 824 New Hampshire St. each weekend — and it has since 2008, said Emily Lysen, director of development for the market.
So it came as a surprise when suddenly the alleyway between New Hampshire and Rhode Island streets that bisects the two parking lots was torn up earlier this week.
Lysen said the city did not give the market notice of the project, which she later learned has been planned for months.
Michael Leos, a spokesperson for the City of Lawrence’s Municipal Services and Operations department, said the city mailed project information to downtown businesses in the area, and shared info with Downtown Lawrence Inc.
“However, we realized following communication with the farmers market that they were never on our mailing list to receive information because they don’t have a mailing address in the affected area,” he said. “We’re in close communication with their team now and are reviewing our processes to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
Fortunately, Leos said work is on track to have pedestrian access in the alley poured and ready for foot traffic by Saturday morning.
“Visitors of the Farmer’s Market will be able to cross between the two City parking lots through this poured pedestrian access,” Leos said via email. “Traffic cones and caution tape will be put up along the alley (except for the pedestrian crossing area) on Saturday.”
Lysen said the initial hunt for information once she learned of the construction and the concern about whether the alley would be usable consumed a lot of time this week that she would have otherwise spent writing grants to make sure the market stays funded — but having a smoother alleyway will be “highly beneficial for everybody.”
Lysen said the market’s main concern is that many of its customers use strollers, wheelchairs and wagons when they shop. They’ve gotten complaints about potholes in the alley, so despite the initial surprise of the construction, the smooth, new concrete will be appreciated.
Some vendors will have a slightly different setup this weekend since they won’t have access to the alley, but Lysen said she thinks things should be back to normal next week.
The construction surprise does raise another point for Lysen: The market would benefit from having its own permanent space, which would have reminded folks to notify them that construction was planned.
More importantly, a permanent space could include shelter from the sun, rain and wind. The market loses about 30% of its customers when it rains, Lysen said. It could also extend the market’s season, which currently runs mid-April through late November.
“We’ve built up this amazing, bustling market, and we also want to be able to keep building and do more things,” Lysen said.
Markets in Overland Park, Leavenworth, Merriam and many other locations have pavilion structures, she said.
People also often ask for more seating so they can sit and eat at the market.
“We really just don’t have the space to be able to store (more seating) right now in our little trailer, and so to have picnic tables and space for people to be enjoying community together — it’s really what we’re really excited to be building,” she said.
The market applied earlier this year for a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to start to make that happen. The grant would fund a feasibility study to look at top site locations, help determine what needs the market would have to budget for and how much fundraising a site would require, and involve community input, Lysen said.
“We’re really hoping to stay partnered with the city and the county to be building something that can be useful during the farmers market season, but also for other people, whether that’s a rental space or another commercial kitchen — like how we have out at the fairgrounds, which is booked out six months at a time,” she said.
Chef demonstrations and non-acoustic buskers could also be new additions if that permanent space comes to fruition, she said.
The grant is a big opportunity for the market.
“We’re a tiny nonprofit. We have a really small margins, and we also really don’t raise a ton of money or have a lot,” she said. “So this grant really can show the city and the county how serious we are, what we’re capable of, and that, you know, we can be an equal partner with them, coming to do this public-private partnership.”
The Lawrence Farmers’ Market is held from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. each Saturday through Nov. 23 in the parking lots at 824 New Hampshire St. Learn more at lawrencefarmersmarket.org.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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