In July 2000, Growing for Market carried a report on our efforts to revitalize the Downtown Carlisle (PA) Farmers’ Market, a 250-year-old community tradition. This is the sequel, and it is meant to emphasize that hard work and planning is important, but luck can make a big difference.

The beautiful Old Market House, built in 1878, was condemned and demolished in 1950, despite the protests of farmers and the townspeople, and a lawsuit that went all the way to the state supreme court. The farmers were cast out on the street. The Downtown Carlisle Association then adopted the farmers’ market in the mid 1980s, hoping that by invigorating it, they could add an asset to their revitalization efforts for the failing downtown businesses.

By the end of the 1990s, the market was faltering again. Five vendors were left. Customers stopped coming. The Downtown Carlisle Association called a winter meeting of the remaining farmers to decide whether to dig in or bail out. The farmers decided to form a coalition and take direct action to change the direction of the market. I volunteered to become the market manager in January 2000. The coalition talked about a new location for the market, within the downtown business section, and inside a building, if possible. The Cumberland County Commissioners granted the use of their covered parking garage for a Saturday morning market. Much of my winter was spent writing to farmers listed in the PASA (Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture) directory, encouraging them to consider selling at the Downtown Carlisle Farmers’ Market. I drove around Cumberland, Franklin and Adams counties, stopping at farms and giving out information about the market, looking for vendors, beating all of the bushes.

The time and effort paid off when five new vendors signed up to sell at the market. Publicity, advertising all of the vendors and the opening day, was sent out. We were all upbeat about making the market work. A professor at the law college told us that one of the lawyers that had defended the farmers in the 1950 lawsuit was retired but still in the area. With the help of the law college and the historical society, we held an appreciation day for James D. Flowers, Esquire. The papers printed the history of the old market house, including the legal battles. The farmers gave Mr. Flowers a market basket full of produce for his pro bono work on behalf of farmers. This event attracted a number of new faces to the market. Some of the people who attended spoke of how they used to buy produce at the Old Market House, and what surprised us is that they were still angry about what happened back then.

The J.D. Flowers Appreciation Day sparked the people of Carlisle to come find us. The market improved, and attracted new vendors and customers, until the third Saturday of September 2000. On what was to be the biggest harvest day yet, the Ku Klux Klan scheduled a rally at the Old Courthouse next to us. The townspeople staged a counter-rally (Unity Day) at the college campus, and along with all of the downtown businesses, we agreed to cancel business on that day to attend the Unity Rally. This meant a loss of 10% of our annual market sales, but it was worth it making certain that the KKK had no audience. When the townspeople heard of the sacrifice, they increased their support through the rest of the season. Several people began to take an interest in making the farmers market a center of the community. Ironically, the KKK, an organization bent on division, became the serendipitous tool in building a better community farmers’ market.

Word of mouth reached local farmers, grazers, bakers, dairymen, beekeepers, cheese makers and crafters. The news went out that our market was fun and well-supported by the community. During the first two years after the farmers decided to take action, the number of local vendors increased from 5 to 20 (capacity for the space available) and the total market income quadrupled. The 2001 market went beyond expectations. On the last day of market, the second Saturday of November, the remaining vendors with produce had their best single sales day. Several customers admitted that they had not been to a grocery store for produce since we opened, and they regretted having to go back. One steady customer said, “Now what were we going to do with you gone, sit in an empty parking garage every Saturday morning until you come back?”

This last wistful statement led the president of the college, also a steady customer, to offer a campus building for a winter farmers’ market grange. So once a month, as a test market, the farmers will sell produce and drink coffee with our customers.

I have let everyone know that it is someone else’s turn to take the role of market manager. Now a farmers’ market committee, composed of townspeople and farmers, will pool their talents and share the work. A lot of people in Carlisle think that rebuilding the market house would be a good idea. Now wouldn’t that story make a good sequel?