Snellville Bids Farewell to Farmers Market

The Snellville Farmers Market came to a close last Saturday (Sept. 28) for the year. 

"It's been a great season," said Gretchen Schulz, who runs the farmers market and is a member of Snellville Tourism and Trade.

Aside from being named No. 1 on the Top 100 Most Celebrated Farmers Markets list by American Farmland Trust's I Love My Farmers Market Celebration, the 2013 Snellville Farmers Market has had the best vendor attendance yet. Schulz said some weeks the market has struggled to find an empty space in the 55 spaces available. 

"I think this year more than ever vendors have sold out of products continuously," added Kurt Schulz, Gretchen's husband who also helps run the market. 

Cass Fraunfelder, farmer and owner of Finch Creek Farm in Winder, is one of those lucky vendors. He told Patch that he makes 80 percent of his sales from the Snellville market alone, even though he and his wife attend four to five markets every week. 

"This market, in my mind, is the No. 1 market," said Fraunfelder, who's had a booth in Snellville for two years. "It's a premiere venue for this area, but it also is an all-around market. You've got the produce, you've got the honey guy, and you've got the baked goods, and there's a lot of natural foods here."

The husband and wife at Purely Simple Catering have nothing but good things to say about the Snellville Farmers Market, too.  

"A bad day here is like a good day at a lot of other markets," said Matt Ellstein, co-owner of the catering business. They've stuck with the Snellville market since its beginning in 2010. 

"We're opening up The Lemon Tree Bakery [in Loganville], and I think it's safe to say that this [market] has helped us get there," Ellstein said. He explained that he and his wife, Joann, started Purely Simple as a catering business, and since they started selling coffee, pastries and breakfast items at the Snellville Farmers Market, their customer base has increased.

Customers for the entire farmers market have increased in numbers compared to last year, too. According to Gretchen and Kurt Schulz, about 1,500 to 2,000 people come every Saturday. 

"We have good attendance and good support from the community. We get a lot of people to come up to us saying, 'Thank you for doing this, this is such a great thing for community spirit,'" said Gretchen, adding that some customers say they haven't been to a grocery store since the market opened in May.

"I can't emphasize how loyal the customers are," Ellstein said. He explained that there have been a few Saturdays this season where it's rained and he's thought about not opening. But when he and his wife did open despite the weather, regular customers still came.

"It's not just about the vegetables and what we're selling out here," said Fraunfelder. "There's a sense of family out here. We're close to everybody. We all look out for one each other."