By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

OXFORD, Ohio — The Oxford Farmers Market Uptown (OFMU) is growing. A few years back its gross seasonal sales were in the neighborhood of $30,000-$40,000; this season it will be closer to $100,000, according to Larry Slocum, market manager.

Vendor numbers have increased from 15-20, to between 25-35, including six more farmers, Slocum said.

“We have more bakers and artisans that come to market,” he said. “Some people wonder if we should have artisans at the market or not, but I find it all becomes part of the flavor of the market. We have a lot more musicians; we have a market chef – that’s been a lot of fun.”

Slocum was formerly the market manager and president but because of that growth and some changes in his life, Susan Callan has taken over as president.

“The role between the president and manager is kind of blurred at this moment and we’ll be defining this more as we go,” Slocum said. “The market manager’s position is that I grow (numbers of) farmers; also, to promote the market and get people there to buy the farmers, products.”

The market, now in its sixth season, has developed a budget through sales of Friends of the Market memberships and grants. A recent grant enabled the market to become part of the Food Stamp program.

“It’s quite a business endeavor at this point,” Slocum said.
Callan, who was one of the founders of OFMU, is anxious to grow that business. She neither lives on a farm nor sells anything at the market; rather, she is a customer “with a deep investment in wanting to support local farms,” she said.

“I am involved because I care very much about the trend of small farms dying. I think that is not good for our country; and I wanted to do what I could to change that.”

OFMU’s research shows the markets that prosper are those that have some administrative oversight, Callan said.

“We’ve had farmers who have worked at other markets who love our market and that’s one of the primary things – that they know where they can go to if they have a question or a concern, and that’s important,” she said.

Callan would like to see the market develop a five-year plan. “I’m interested in trying to work with the farmers to find out what is going to enhance their farms, what is going to help them grow – what we might do at the market to support those farms and help those families prosper,” she said.

“We’re also interested in hearing from the customer, on what kinds of things they’d like to see here that we don’t have. That is primarily my interest – just trying to help grease the wheels.”