Farmer's Market Malaise

We make a point of getting over to the Oakland Mills farmer's market whenever we can each Sunday but there's no getting around it: the pickings are rather slim. The Sun reports that the number of vendors have dropped from about seven to five at the various markets around town.

Some farmers say there are not enough shoppers. Higher gasoline prices have made it more costly for others to go from one market to another. Still others say they do a better business with subscription services in which they deliver produce directly to people's homes.

But with fewer vendors, fewer people turn out. Fewer shoppers means fewer vendors etc etc.

It certainly seems like a service everyone professes to want is headed in the wrong direction.

And that's unfortunate. We spent a holiday in Italy last year and marveled at the weekly community markets, bustling with meat wagons, produce stands, and a traveling flea market offering shoes, clothes and all sorts of household goods.

Why doesn't something like that work here?