Fairmont Farmer's Market perseveres through rain and rising prices during first week

Yahoo

a day ago

FAIRMONT — Typically, April showers bring May flowers but in Fairmont, May just brought more rain.
But despite the miserable weather, the Fairmont Farmer's Market held true to its promise on its Facebook page, and opened for the 2025 season, rain or shine.
'Generally we have more vendors than you're seeing today because of the weather,' Joni Costante, who oversees the Fairmont Farmer's Market, said. 'But this is just getting started. We have fresh locally grown produce and as the season progresses, we'll have fresh fruit brought in from Romney.'
On Tuesday, Costante, Little Brickhouse Bakery, Richardson Farms and Herron's Farmers Market and Crafts set up tents and tables on which they did their best to proudly display their wares while keeping their products safe from the rain. Produce was not the only things for sale. There were baked goods and at least 44 different jellies for sale, as well as dried tea.
Costante said the Fairmont Farmer's Market has been going on for at least 50 years, with the market taking root in one place or another, including under the Million Dollar Bridge. They've been based out of Palatine Park for the last four or five years, which Costante called a wonderful location.
Despite its home-crafted nature, the farmer's market has also been susceptible to the same rising prices affecting consumer goods nationwide. Costante makes homemade jellies and said the price of sugar, jars and anything else required to produce her product has gone up significantly. She also pointed out that the price of seeds has gone up.
'A packet used to cost four bucks was now almost six this year,' she said. 'The dirt that some of us buy, like fertilizer, that sort of thing all of that's gone up.'
The Herron's jam making business has also incurred higher costs. But despite that, they've done their best to not change prices.
'We've kept the prices of our jelly the same as last year, because if you raise it, then nobody can buy it,' Kathy Herron said. 'So we try not to cause a hardship on people.'
Herron said the higher cost of business cuts into their profits, but where they are lucky is in that they raise their own blackberries, raspberries and other fruits, which helps keep costs down. Herron said she expects vendors to have less in the way of variety at farmers markets in general this year due to the higher prices.
This is Little Brickhouse Bakery's first year at market. CJ Scott, owner, and her partner Jacob Kolodziej, own the business. They specialize in goods such as gluten-free brown butter cookies, snack mixes and peanut butter spreads they make at home. Cookies were also safely tucked into plastic containers to keep them safe from the rain on their display stand.
Fairmont Farmer's Market was their second stop so far, after having started at the White Hall Farmer's and Artisans Market earlier in the month.
Scott started her side business in January, when a lot of changes started happening at her job. She worked for the Department of Energy in Morgantown, where she functioned as a program and management analyst. However, she had experience working in a bakery, and after learning about West Virginia's cottage industries laws, decided to launch her own microbusiness. For Little Brickhouse, price came second to ingredients.
'Gluten-free shouldn't be gross,' Scott said. 'But also, we're a part of the community. This is an affordable price point.'
The Fairmont Farmer's Market returns to Palatine Park every Tuesday throughout the summer. Costante said they even work with the senior nutrition program to help low-income seniors procure fresh produce. They also work with the Women, Infants and Children program to make sure they can get a fresh allotment of produce as well. She said one of the benefits of the farmers market is that residents are closer to their food and can get to know the farmers who grow it.
Sudawan Richardson, from Richardson Farms, was Tuesday's rock. Camped underneath the trunk lid of her SUV, she held onto her produce and made the best of things.
'I love to garden, I love to see people happy,' she said. 'I see their smile, I'm happy. That's my toy. Money, that's good but I think I make good enough. I like everybody to have good food.'