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Columbia's Wednesday Farmers Market enters its final weeks of the season

A sign welcomes customers to the Columbia Farmers Market in November 2019 at the MU Health Care Pavilion.
Tara Prindle
/
Columbia Missourian
A sign welcomes customers to the Columbia Farmers Market in November 2019 at the MU Health Care Pavilion.

The Columbia Farmer’s Market was in full swing Wednesday, and several of the vendors said business has increased in the recent weeks as students have returned for the fall semester.

The market gives vendors the opportunity to sell their goods, and is producer-only, meaning all vendors must produce what they sell. Chris Foley, the owner and operator of Fiddle & Stone Bread Company, has been a vendor for over six years.

“Particularly on Saturday, you know, we see a lot of students- I’m guessing students based on age and, you know, what kind of clothing they wear, a lot of Mizzou gear- and especially toward fall we see an uptake in customer count,” Foley said.

Foley sells at both the Wednesday markets, which run through September 11th, and at the Saturday markets, which continue year-round. The market only sells from vendors within a 50-mile radius of Columbia.

Marcus Monroe is the owner of Manitou Farms, and has been a vendor for approximately 20 years. He agrees that the students have brought more business to the market.

“Oh certainly, the traffic does increase while students are in town, especially the very first weekend or two because they’re usually bringing their families as well,” Monroe said.

The market, located at Columbia’s Agriculture Park, will be open for just the next two Wednesdays until Sept. 11, but will remain open on Saturdays, shortening its hours in October.

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