Weekend Farmers Market Opens at PS 154

On Sunday a new farmers market opened its tents on the shaded sidewalk in front of . Families and couples flooded the stands, perusing fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods and chicken, while listening to a trio sing and strum instruments.

But despite the hearty welcome, several shoppers said they did not consider the greenmarket a viable grocery alternative .

"It's a little bit pricey," said Paula Murphy, who lives around the corner from the new market on 11th Avenue between Sherman and Windsor Place. "I'll come back on weekends. We've been looking forward to it opening. But for a family, it's a little high."

A nearby friend, Lynn Rosenzweig, concurred. 

"Everybody thinks that Windsor Terrace is an upper-middle class neighborhood," Rosenzweig said. "But it's really a mix. There are a lot of elderly, a lot of unemployed. I think after a few weeks, they will have to go down in price."

The farmers market, which will remain open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sundays through November 18, is run by GrowNYC, which operates a smaller mid-week market at Bartell Pritchard Square on Wednesdays as well. EBT/Food Stamps, Debit/Credit, and WIC & FMNP Coupons are all accepted. 

Vendors said they were aware of finding fresh produce, and were happy to be able to help serve that need.

"The greenmarket was in the works well before Key Food anounced it was going to close," said one manager, while chopping up fruit for a peach salsa recipe she was sampling. "But we expect a lot of people will be coming by as a result of that."

Once summer ends, however, neighbors seemed uncertain how they would find food options beyond "canned tuna fish and beans."

"Costco? I really don't know," said Murphy. "I definitely won't be shopping at Walgreens. Absolutely not," adding that previous experiences with the pharmacy had left something to be desired. "They were very rude."

An employee at the nearby , who wished to remain anonymous, said many of her customers have similarly stated they plan to boycott the arrival of the Walgreens chain, which has to the neighborhood.

"We know our customers, we deliver, the owner calls people up to check on them after they come home from the hospital," she said. "It's much more personal. We're not really worried about losing anyone to them."

And with that, the ladies returned to examining the squash.