Bayview Park farmers market disappears

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

A popular weekly farmers market at Bayview Park suddenly disappeared last week, leaving customers crying foul and vendors scrambling for a new location.

Vendors were told Tuesday, May 14, that the market was going out of business immediately. Some vendors were able to alert their regular customers not to come to the park that Thursday, but with such short notice, many people couldn’t be contacted. That led some vendors to take a chair to Bayview Park on May 16, waiting so they could let their customers know in person.

Rumors had blamed city officials for the sudden cancellation due to a planned Bayview Park restoration project. But the plug was pulled by the market’s coordinator, Jasin Hershin, who operates several other farmers markets through his company, Specialty Pop-Up Events. Marilyn Wilbarger, senior property manager for the city of Key West, said she had called Hershin recently about renewing his contract with the city, which was set to expire in June. On that call, Hershin told her he was not only not going to renew the contract, he was closing the market as of May 9.

“We didn’t have any advance notice of it,” Wilbarger said about the market closure. “It totally came from the vendor side. We had no notice.”

When reached by Konk Life, Hershin vented his frustration with the dwindling customer base over the six years it has been in operation. Opened on March 27, 2013, Hershin had been the market coordinator for the entire tenure. But business had fallen 80 percent from its opening season. Fewer customers led to fewer vendors and the $2,500 monthly rental contract with the city – plus the insurance policy Hershin was required to maintain – was too expensive, he said, adding that his frustration is “through the roof.”

“It deteriorated from a great market to an average market to a non-performing market. No customers, no vendors and very, very weak support from the community,” Hershin said by telephone. “If there is any blame, it’s on the Key West citizens who didn’t support it.”

One of the 10 to 12 regular vendors at the market was the Pickle Baron of Key West, operated by Dustan Carpenter and John Nutting. The flavored sweet and sour pickle products are a hit not only at the Bayview Park market but also at the Higgs Beach Artisan Market, which takes place every other Sunday from November through April. Carpenter said that his company will be alright financially because they also sell through local grocery stores. But some vendors who don’t have those type of retail outlets are looking at other options, including renting space at the Wednesday farmers market in Sugarloaf Key. The 17-mile drive may deter Key West customers, however.

“It’s out of the way for a lot of Key West people to go, particularly if they’re on their lunch break,” Carpenter said.

Still, hope may be on the horizon. Sean Krikorian, a partner in Daily Plan-it, an outdoor festival planner that operates the Higgs Beach Artisan Market and the Bayview Park Seafood Festival in February, is talking to city and Monroe County officials about creating a weekly farmers market in either Truman Waterfront Park, the Higgs Beach space next to the dog park or the Restaurant Store on Eton Street, where the Artisan Market got its start.

“We have three locations we working on now,” Krikorian said, adding, “It’s good for the community to have something like that; sustainable with fresh produce.”

But even with all the good reasons for a regular local farmers market, it is difficult to create a successful financial venture, Krikorian said. He said he understands why the Bayview Market couldn’t make it. Usually, markets, which he called “shows,” are not money-makers.

“There are a lot of costs that go into putting a show like that on. A smaller market like Bayview is a break-even market,” he said.

If Hershin had wanted to renew the Bayview market contract, it might have posed a location problem. City officials are planning on renovating the park and are actively promoting Truman Waterfront Park as an alternative for community events. Krikorian, who produces the Seafood Festival on Martin Luther King weekend each year, said he expects to move that event to the waterfront park next February.

“Bayview [Park] is just really, really beaten up. The forestry person with the city is worried about the trees there,” he said.

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