Falls park farmer's market shifts to online ordering

The Coronavirus is forcing many businesses and organizations to get creative.

The Falls Park Farmer Market typically isn’t supposed to start until May, but the Coronavirus pandemic has got them trying something new and opening a month early.

Board member Nathan Van Zweden said, “We’d be at home and planting, that sort of stuff, that would be a normal day for April 4th.”

On this day in prior years, vendors at the Falls Park Farmer’s Market would be preparing to sell their goods in about a month, but this year things are different.

Saturday, the over 100-year-old farmer’s market tested the waters of selling their products online.

Van Zweden said, “We’re trying to keep it as non-contact as we possibly can. No money is exchanging hands today, it’s all online paid with credit card just like any other online purchase.”

The Falls Park Farmer’s Market is set to begin on May 2nd this year, and as of now that is when the board plans to invite other vendors.

Nathan Van Zweden is a Falls Park Farmer’s Market Board Member and says right now there’s a lot of uncertainty.

“No idea what to plan for; the way everything has been changing day-by-day even it is really hard to plan on what it’s going to look like,” Van Zweden added. “We will try to stay as safe as we possibly can.”

Shopping at the market while staying safe brings up a few options.

Van Zweden said, “Whether they’ll be able to shop like normal and keep their distance, or they’ll have to stay in their vehicles, we don’t know. It’s going to be up to the city to a degree on what is allowed.”

No matter how the farmer’s market continues this summer, the board is prepared for anything.

“We have to be very fluid right now; it will not look like a normal market season whatsoever,” said Van Zweden.

The Falls Park Farmer’s Market will continue this online order format throughout the month of April.