Wednesday, January 28, 2009

mad at Watauga Farmers Market


I'm so bummed about the Watauga Farmers Market (the local one where I sell eggs). To help pay for the annual fee, I need more volume to sell than just eggs. I decided I'd make some soap. I called the manager and she said that homemade soap falls under "craft" and I needed to go before the market jury that met Saturday two weeks ago, and won't met again for two years! Although I am a vendor there, I can't sell soap in addition to eggs.
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I completely understand the Board of Directors doesn't want to turn it into a flea market but I can't understand about turning good, with annual-fee-money-in-hand, vendors away. They always want to limit what and whom are there and I think the more good vendors we have the more of an attraction we are. I gotta go, I'm going to write the Board of Directors.
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Oh, and ya can't sell baked goods either unless you get the State of NC to inspect your kitchen, and a bunch more stuff. Actually, you nor your kid can run a Lemonade stand on your own property in North Carolina without a bunch of expense and red tape.
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"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session." Mark Twain

12 comments:

Twisted Fencepost said...

That's a bunch of political nonsense. I say they are paid to keep people from competing with the big boys.
Good luck!!

Christy said...

I really hate all these regulations! That is why I'm a libertarian. For me to sell eggs at a farmer's market in GA, I need a separate fridge to store them in and I have to candle everyone of them. It is ridiculous to have to do all that to sell a couple dozen eggs. I'm just going to sell them under the table to friends when we start getting enough.

Mary Humphrey said...

I'll try this again...I lost my first set of comments. Joanna, I have great sympathy for you. Without going into a lot of detail, I too live in a state that does not allow of lot of from the farm products to be sold without a license. I have a license to sell my B&B products, but if you want some of my milk, for example, you have to drink it on my farm. You better not take a cup of it with you to feed your animals! Anyhow, can you contact your local extension office or Chamber of Commerce? Also, in our area, I have noticed that the Tractor Supply stores hold farmer's markets in their parking lots in the warmer months. They draw quite a crowd. This might not be the setting that you are looking for, but it would be a start. This stinks, simply said!

Deb said...

I'm sorry Joanna - these regulations are going to regulate us all right out of business and I really believe that is "their" intention.
I think you will find this crap in most every state and it doesn't encourage anyone to want to farm that's for sure.

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

talking about Tractor Supply, the closest one is 1 1/2 hr away off this mountain, was always so good to our poultry club, as long as we weren't blocking the front door, we could use their parking to sell and trade birds, plus we brought them business, because when we sold birds, the customers would walk into TS and buy bird stuff.

Amy said...

Mark Twain was a smart man. But it's our own fault we're in the situation that we're in. Things are over-regulated because we refuse to take care of things ourselves, so we lazily hand over control to our government. And now look at us.

Lanny said...

Is your road not a main drag? Sometimes it is best to sell off of your own place. But I am right on a main highway. Our eggs go to my husband's work and we cannot keep up with the demand.

Sharon said...

I"m sorry to hear that Joanna, I know you had your hopes up for making the soaps. Can you make it anyway and post a sign on your table without selling directly from the market? Or maybe just "mention it to customers"?

I sure hope you can find a way.

Unknown said...

This is crazy - your soaps are beautiful and would be an asset to the market! Are you familiar with the Southern Highland Craft Guild? My sister worked at the center for several years: http://www.southernhighlandguild.org/index.php

I've been there and have seen a huge variety of handmade crafts.
Nancy

Jennifer said...

Sorry to hear about the road block. It does seem to get harder and harder to make any money from home or farm these days.

Teesa said...

Ugh, that's frustrating! You'd think that there'd be another meeting sooner than two years from now! Sometimes I find Boone to be a bit backward - like the fact that you have to fax legal documents when closing on a house, b/c there is no ability to email.

I was going to suggest baking, but that seems to be out too. What can you do? Only sell eggs and chickens? Isn't there any other thing that you can sell? Like a service of some sort?

Alison said...

Have you read any of Joel Salatin's books? His most well-known one is called "Everything I Want to Do is Illegal." He runs Polyface Farms in Virginia.