Overland Park Farmers Market Analysis

Bells on the small shop doors ring all down the street as people walk in and out of the different family owned businesses. They all slowly wander towards the at the beginning of the brick structure at the corner of Marty Street and Santa Fe Drive. The voices of lots of people all mix together in a loud, low hum. The Overland Park Farmers’ Market is flooded. Every once in a while you hear the shrieking of a toddler running through the cold fountain spurting up from the concrete patio break through the hum. Kids sit and draw with chalk on the floor; stepping carefully is a must to avoid little hands. Music notes can be heard floating over the top of the hum. This week’s local band stands center stage and plays outlaw country covers. People spot …show more content…
The stand is attended by a friendly older couple, Ed and Debbie Samyn. Samyn Farms has sold their produce at this market for over thirty years; thirty years ago is about when the market started. The shady pavilion was not always there, according to Debbie. It used to be just a gravel parking lot, but no one could ever build on it because the city set it aside for only the market to use. She points out an emerald green pennant proudly displayed over the top of their stand. Both husband and wife believe the pennant is why they have built up their clientele over the past three decades. The color of the pennant means that everything they produce is one hundred percent homegrown and organic. Debbie explains to me that every display is required to have a pennant to show how far away the produce came from. The city of Overland Park comes up with rules like this to make sure vendors are being …show more content…
She likes working with customers. She is typically found standing near the vegetables or pies at their table, ready to answer customer’s questions, while her parents handle the money. Her family chose to join after hearing some glowing recommendations on the market. She soon learned the customers were only half the reason for the glowing reviews. Amanda loves interacting with other farmers. She tries to catch up with all of them when she can, like she would extended family.
Like Amanda, Glori Clevenger loves working with her family too. Clevenger is one of the youngest vendors in the market. When she was seven, her stay at home mom decided she wanted to be a part of a farmers’ market for fun. Her mother started at a smaller market, but soon her operation got big enough to where her father quit his job working for the state to help out. Now, they run the largest stand at the market. It requires her entire family to run three tables of dry food and goods, a freezer for cheese and other dairy products, and a whole truck for