Vendor Information - Northfield Farmers Market

Vendor Rules & Guidelines for Summer 2021 Season

Membership/Fees

Full-season Fee: $100 for all 22 in-person markets plus online market, or $90 if paid by May 1. Seasonal memberships are not accepted after May 18.
Single Day Fee: $15 per in-person market only.
Monthly Fee: $40 for online market only.
A voting membership is open to all vendors participating in the market that are paid in full and have attended at least 16 markets in a 12-month period. Membership confers one vote at the annual meeting, which is held in the spring following the last winter market.

Attendance

Seasonal Vendors are expected to vend at all 22 market dates and maintain current online inventory.
If a seasonal vendor is unable to attend a market or will be arriving after 3:00 p.m., the Market Manager must be notified by 10 a.m. on market day.
Day Vendors are to let the Market Manager know that they will be attending a market by 10 a.m. on market day. The Market Manager will assign location assignments for day vendors the day before the market, and those locations may may vary from week to week.
Monthly Online Vendors will maintain current online inventory for the purchased month.
All vendors must staff their own stands at in-person markets throughout all hours of operation.

Health & Safety Guidelines

We will continue to implement the Vermont state government health guidelines for safe operation developed last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic including the following, which are subject to change by the Public Health Department:

All value-added products and prepared food items must be pre-packaged and sold for off-site consumption. Consumption of food or drink at the market is prohibited, including sampling.
In-person shopping is allowed, but transactions should be by electronic means when possible. If payment is by cash, totals should be rounded to avoid/reduce the need to make change as much as possible.
For in-person shopping, the market area will be roped off, with a single direction of travel between marked entry and exit points.
All vendors will follow proper hygiene and distancing protocol. A hand sanitizing station will be available at the entrance and at the exit. Refer customers to posted signs for adequate social distance, masking, and to avoid congregation. All vendors must wear facial coverings. All food vendors must wear gloves. Vendors will configure their stands to place a table or other physical barrier between them and customers. Handling of products by customers is prohibited.

Set-up & Parking at In-person Markets

All vendors must be set up and ready to sell at 3 p.m. on market day.
The town of Northfield hosts our market as a courtesy, and we take our responsibility as a good steward of the Common seriously. That means vendors leave no trash or other debris behind, and they do not take up parking spaces from patrons of businesses on the Common. Vendors may load in from the curb, but ALL VENDORS must park on the south side of Wall Street, behind the American Legion, or in the Northfield Police Department lot.
The restrooms in the Northfield Municipal Building are available until 4:30 p.m. Otherwise, proper market etiquette dictates that no vendors use the restrooms at businesses on the Common unless patronizing those establishments.
All tents must be secured with stakes and/or weights to ensure the safety of customers and other vendors.

Online Store Operation

In addition to holding an in-person market during the summer season, the Northfield Farmers Market operates an online farm store using a platform designed specifically for farms and farmers markets by Eat From Farms. Customers can shop by category, producer (vendor), or search function, and they can choose from multiple payment options. Set-up and operation of the online store are easy! After a vendor account has been set up by the market manager, the vendor populates a producer description page and enters product inventory. Vendors are paid for their sales weekly via direct deposit to vendors' bank accounts.

The online market operates on the following weekly cycle in the summer season:

Thursday to Sunday: The site is open for ordering from 10 a.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Monday: Vendors prepare products and fill customer orders.
Tuesday: Vendors deliver their ordered products -- bagged and labeled by customer order -- to the in-person market on the Common by 3 p.m., where the market manager will aggregate the customer orders for pick-up between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Vendors restock and update their online product inventories.

To activate your online vendor account, simply follow these steps:

Download the vendor application from the online store, or ask the market manager to send it to you.
Return the completed application and your payment to the market manager.
Log in to your account using the automatically generated password you will receive by email.
Stock your online inventory and enter your producer description. Keep your content current. Empty pages and out-of-stock items will be deactivated from the site if not updated.
Spread the word! Recommend our online store to other vendors, and let your customers know about our online store.

There's lots of support to help you set up and operate your product page. Just let the market manager know if you have questions.

Market Data
All vendors report gross sales to the Market Manager at the end of each in-person market for market growth analysis. This information remains confidential and is not shared with other vendors or the state except in aggregate. Sales data is automatically generated from the online market.

Insurance/Liability
The Northfield Farmers Market has a limited liability insurance plan. This insurance does not cover product liability for individual vendors or liability for personal damages caused by your market display. All vendors are responsible for obtaining liability insurance, licensing and/or certification required for products sold. Please refer to the following links in facilitating that applicable regulations are met: http://healthvermont.gov/enviro/food_lodge/food_lodge_guide.aspx,

http://agriculture.vermont.gov/food_safety_consumer_protection

Promotion and Advertising

The Northfield Farmers Market advertises in a variety of media and maintains a large media distribution list for press releases. However, word of mouth is the best advertisement, so vendor engagement in market awareness and promotion is important. Here are five easy things vendors can do to help increase our visibility:

Send us photos and details about special promotions or other news about your products.
Like and follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NorthfieldFarmersMarketVT
Share and comment on our Facebook posts and events.
Tag us — @northfieldfarmersmarketvt — in your Facebook posts.
Submit posts on Front Porch Forum.

Not on FaceBook? That’s OK. Email your customers, friends and family with information about the next market or event. Put up one of our posters where you work, at your church, or in your neighborhood. Got more ideas? Let us know!