Farmers market will return in spring

The farmers and city residents who for the first time brought fresh produce, eggs and barbecue downtown may become regulars on Route 1 after a successful first season.

Brad Miller of Miller Farms said the Sunday farmers market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in City Hall's parking lot — which is located across from Ledo Pizza — ended this month but garnered enough business to guarantee he'll return for a second season starting in March or April. Miller said he would like to make a few new additions, such as a snow cone machine, a live band and homemade jam, and jelly, to draw more attention to the market next season.

"It started with me and my girlfriend and a little truck, and we went out there the first weekend not knowing what to expect," Miller said. "But people showed up."

Although a few people, including an Asian pear vendor and a baker, tried to participate in the market but ultimately stopped coming because business was slow, Miller called his first season at this new location a "success." The Miller family already operates another market in the city located in the Ellen Linson Swimming Pool parking lot, two miles from the campus, on Saturdays.

At its most profitable day in July, Miller said the market had about 200 visitors and made about $1,800. In August, business slowed, but Miller said it climbed again once more students arrived for the fall semester.

"I definitely think we're sustainable just as it is right now," he said.

Miller said the experience in a location closer to the campus is a learning experience — and that students are very different customers than his regulars.

"A lot of students didn't cook, so fruits did pretty well but selling a pound of green beans was tough," he said. "[Miller Farms'] number ones for produce are collard and kale greens, and I really couldn't give it away up here."

The addition of live music every Sunday at the market could drive more student patrons to the market, he said.

"Just someone with a guitar playing a few tunes to set the atmosphere," Miller said. "The group we had a couple times sounded like a pirate band, singing old Irish folklore songs, and it just was not what people were looking for."

However, Bill Coleman — the market's barbecue vendor — said the market doesn't have much money to spare for entertainment and finding a group willing to play for free will be nearly impossible.

Tyler Stump, a senior history major, said although he only shopped at the farmer's market twice, he enjoyed having the option to buy fresh food close to the campus.

"Music would be nice," he said. "I'd probably be more inclined to spend more time there if they made it more than just a market."

Although Coleman and Miller said regular customers and new students alike frequented the location every weekend, both said the campus has untapped potential for customers.

"There is kind of a disconnect between residents and the student population, but I think in a lot of ways, this kind of brings together both sides," said Coleman, who's lived in the city for 14 years.

Aside from being the home of "the best deal in College Park," according to Coleman — who'll continue selling barbecue sandwiches with two sides for $5 every Sunday until the end of the semester — he said the farmers market helps bridge this gap.

"I think [the market's] something we need to get the community involved, so I thought I'd do the barbeque thing, get the smoke in the air," he said. "It kind of draws people."

lurye@umdbk.com