Farmers market moves to Horsefeathers

By Crissie Russo and Caitlin Waters
BengalNews Reporters

Snowy weather is approaching, pushing at least one popular farmer’s market inside.

The Elmwood-Bidwell Market will be moving into the Horsefeathers building at 346 Connecticut St. and will be open every Saturday starting Jan. 5.

Farmers markets have usually been associated with the warm, summer months when produce and livestock are thriving. However, vendors that may still have products at the end of the season are left without a place to sell them. This is where the Horsefeathers building comes in.

The Winter Market at Horsefeathers, created by The Frizlen Group, will provide a location for vendors from the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market to sell their products during the off months.

The Market will stay open every Saturday through May 4. May 11 will mark the date to continue the summer Elmwood-Bidwell market.

The Horsefeathers building, which was vacant for about three years before the Frizlen Group bought it, will have 24 apartments in the upstairs floors and has approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial space in the basement and ground floors. The apartments will not be completed until at least May.

Construction worker Charles Bloomquist said the construction started in July and is more than halfway done.

Construction worker Charles Bloomquist with market flooring

“We recently got the wood needed to cover only about 4,000 square feet of flooring for the market,” Bloomquist said.

Karl Frizlen, founder of the Elmwood-Bidwell farmers market and president of the Frizlen Group, hopes to develop an outlet for food makers within the new building.

“I didn’t buy the building with the intent of creating a winter market but I wanted to provide this food makers concept,” Frizlen said. “This winter market is a great way to market the space.”

Frizlen said the momentum from the market in the summer months has developed a need for these vendors in the winter months. The success of the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market has lead to the public’s request for an indoor market during the winter months.   
 

Karl Frizlen, on the vendors for the Winter Market at Horsefeathers:

 

The future market, which 12 vendors have signed on for, requires that all participating businesses be within a 50 mile radius of Buffalo. They have to commit to being open every Saturday from opening in January to the closing in May.

The emphasis on the winter season is because some products do not reach their peak until the winter, therefore is essential to have a market at this time. Preservation of the produce allows the season to be extended.

Dr. Wende Mix, an associate professor in the Geography and Planning Department at Buffalo State College explained that plants grow successfully through December as long as they’re taken care of. 

“A lot of eating local has to do with preserving,” Mix said.  “Canned tomatoes, frozen meats and things along those lines you could see at a winter market.”

Buffalo State College Professor Wende Mix, on winter availability of produce:  

 

Mix also explains that fresh mint and herbs that are grown over the spring and summer months can be dried and sold as spices at farmers markets during the off-peak seasons.

         Some other items that will be available for purchase include pastas, salsa, dog treats, and cookies. Venders include Arden Farms, Avenue Boys Smokehouse, and The Pasta Peddler.

           Future vendors and more information about the development of the Horsefeathers building can be viewed at www.horsefeathersmarket.com  Edited by Maureen Vitali