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Thursday, July 03, 2008

Wal-Mart Blocked Location

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
      After Wal-Mart's corporate office nixed its intended location, the Edgewood Farmers' Market is across the street from NAPA Auto Parts in Edgewood.
    “I don't know if (Wal-Mart) figured we'd be too much competition,” Craig Noorlander of Papa Bear's Honey said.
    Noorlander is running the market this year for a second time.
    The official reason Wal-Mart wouldn't allow the farmers to sell their wares in the parking lot was liability issues, according to Noorlander, who pointed out that the market has liability insurance up to $1 million. He also wondered whether he'd lost some vendors because of the NAPA location, but said the current location has also made some vendors happy.
    “We like it here,” said Ive Schwebach cq of Schwebach Farm. “We think it's more farmers'-market conducive.”
    She and two of her children, Nathan and Ellysia, sold vegetables, soap and eggs at a little stand Monday. They were one of just six vendors that day and, Noorlander pointed out, the only ones who were selling farm-fresh produce. The other offerings included aprons, crafts, eggs and honey.
    Those items are also unique, things you can't purchase in the supermarket, said Marica Sanchez as her son Isaac sucked on a straw full of lemon-flavored honey from Noorlander's booth.
    Noorlander said there had been 11 vendors the first day and expects more vendors in the coming weeks.
    “We should get 20 by full season,” he said.
    Noorlander said he's lucky to have anything to sell this year himself. He is selling last year's honey because sometime this past winter someone dumped insecticide into one of his hives.
    What makes things worse, Noorlander said, is that bees from some of the other hives took honey from the poisoned hive, and he still has to make sure his other hives aren't tainted, as well.
    “I lost seven hives as a result,” Noorlander said. “It's been a rough year.”
    Noorlander is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of whoever poisoned his hive, which he estimates cost him $5,000. Call Noorlander at 281-7851, e-mail papa@papabearshoney.com, or go to papabearshoney.com for more information on the farmers' market or with information on the bee poisoning.
    The Edgewood Farmers' Market is held every Monday through Oct. 6 from 3 to 7 p.m. near NAPA Auto Parts in Edgewood, which is west of N.M. 344 on Old Route 66. The market is holding a grand opening July 14.
    The Cedar Crest Farmers' and Arts Market is held on the west side of N.M. 14 in Cedar Crest Center just south of Triangle Grocery Store. It runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and will go through October. For more information, contact Wendy McGuire at 610-8326.
   

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