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No Chimborazo market this year

A reader noticed earlier that the GrowRVA Chimborazo Farmers was no longer listed on the GrowRVA calendar of markets.

GrowRVA Operations Coordinator Doug Grisevich then confirmed that the monthly 1st Saturday market will not be happening at Chimborazo Park, but instead will be at Urban Farmhouse.

Grisevich said that “due to the limited number of vendors choosing to participate in our Church Hill Farmers Market, GrowRVA will continue to conduct the market at the Urban Farmhouse.”

He said that they have 8-10 confirmed vendors, and that perhaps 20 or more would needed to consider the larger location at a later date.

The first of the First Saturdays Farmers Market will be Saturday, June 7, from 9:00 AM – noon.

A Richmond BizSense post from April said that the market would be coming to Chimborazo Park in June with 20-30 vendors:

Founder Karen Atkinson said the weekly Chimborazo Park event will be similar to GrowRVA’s popular South of the James Market with a vendor mix of about 80 percent local food producers and 20 percent artists.

Atkinson hopes to have between 20 and 30 venders signed on for the June 7 inaugural Chimborazo Farmers Market. It will be the second new market GrowRVA has launched in the past three summers, after adding a weekly market in Midlothian ahead of the 2012 season.

[…]

GrowRVA spokesman Doug Grisevich said Newbille has been the driving force behind opening the market at Chimborazo Park, which sits at the middle of the 7th District that she represents.

39 comments

KatManDo 05/28/2014 at 8:34 PM

Holy Goat.

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John M 05/28/2014 at 9:24 PM

It’s still going to happen, just not in the park.

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BAC 05/28/2014 at 9:43 PM

I think this will one day be a great market with many vendors. The short heads up time probably had something to do with it but I can’t imagine this location not being successful. As an aside I had requested info from GrowRVA about being a vendor and received a whole lot of nothing in return.

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Amy N-B 05/28/2014 at 10:38 PM

Maybe the vendors got wind of the irritating nimbyism and thought, “Why bother?”

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Marshall Street 05/28/2014 at 11:28 PM

That is a bummer. Glad that they’ll be here, but was really looking forward to it being in Chimbo.

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Alex 05/29/2014 at 6:18 AM

Amy – my thoughts exactly. As a businessperson, this would be pretty low on my list of places to invest in right about now. The “No-It-Alls” have given this community a black eye.

I’m certainly not saying we need to suck up whatever shit some developer wants to build but when we’ve got very vocal groups who seemingly take great joy in being opposed to any change (other than more pétanque courts), it’s going to have blowback.

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Karen 05/29/2014 at 8:44 AM

Disappointed but hoping for one next year!

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Chimbo 05/29/2014 at 8:44 AM

My understanding is that there is more demand on vendor time than they can handle. There are already multiple farmers markets in Richmond that occur during the time (saturday) this was proposed for.

Perhaps a future solution would be to have a Sunday market in Chimborazo.

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UrbanPioneer 05/29/2014 at 9:51 AM

Alex and Amy. Why are you commenting about things you don’t know? The community came together with some great ideas to help make the Farmer’s Market happen and be a success for everyone. These were simple solutions like the city putting up better parking signage for the farmer’s market and directing patrons to use the bathrooms at the Medical Museum.

There was nothing GROW RVA had to do but show up for the meeting (which they didn’t), sign up vendors, and fill out proper forms with Parks & Rec to use the park. There is no NIMBY. There is a group of people who took time out of their busy schedules to help make this a success for the neighborhood.

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Alex 05/29/2014 at 10:46 AM

@17 – the Chimbo crowd wasn’t the main ones I was referring to with the earlier post – this was more of a general statement that our community is starting to get a reputation for being a pain in the ass to do business with (vocal opposition to Echo Harbor, Pear Street, Buzzy’s, making East End theater jump through endless hoops, anti-stadium, etc., etc.).

However, your post is an interesting one. Do you guys really not see any connection between making GrowRVA show up for some BS meeting to talk common sense stuff they probably already planned and them having a change of heart? Their blowoff of that meeting should give you a clue.

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Chimbo 05/29/2014 at 1:37 PM

Alex, grow up. The meeting was held to make sure the farmers market was a successful event. If you have ever paid attention to the world around you, you would realize that lots of events arent successful because of…..BAD PLANNING.

I am sorry the farmers market is not happening this year, but will gladly work with anyone who presents a credible plan for one in the future.

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Bill 3 05/29/2014 at 1:57 PM

This is why we can’t have nice things. Way to go owners, err, friends of Chimborazo.

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Alex 05/29/2014 at 2:00 PM

@19 – and was it a successful event?

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crd 05/29/2014 at 2:02 PM

@ 16 Chimbo, a friend and neighbor was just telling me last month that he didn’t see how they could get vendors here when they were already at the South of the James market, and the many others (Lakeside, Monument Ave. and others). Sounds like that’s the problem – many of these vendors only have so much produce or whatever to sell, and they are small operations, they don’t necessarily have tons of product and people to spread around to sell it. I like the idea of a Sunday market, and that’s why I try to get to the Carytown market sometimes.

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ray 05/29/2014 at 3:14 PM

Come on folks, let’s not bicker, let’s just work together to make it happen next year.

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J. Sears 05/29/2014 at 3:35 PM

Alex’s MO
– Shoot off at the mouth first. Ask questions later.

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Amy N-B 05/29/2014 at 4:20 PM

I’m sure that the growers are over-extended on Saturdays and I agree that a Sunday market would be awesome, but I can already see the outrage! “Parking is already tight on Sunday’s because of the church [on 32nd]!” “God doesn’t want people shopping on “his” day!” “I live in a city, but require three spaces for my car at all times!”

Anyway, I like public meetings and all, but I wonder if it would have gotten axed if no one had complained about it.

I’m leaving this glorious community at the end of this summer after 10 years and was really hoping to have two months of Farmer’s Market awesomeness.

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Alex 05/29/2014 at 5:24 PM

@24 – that was a rhetorical question. I guess it went completely over your head.

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Alex 05/29/2014 at 5:29 PM

Amy, sorry to hear you’re leaving. Looking for the better schools?

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Rick Tatnall 05/29/2014 at 6:48 PM

The reason that the market in Chimborazo is not happening has everything to do with Cynthia Newbille’s pushing for and announcement of a market that wasn’t possible because she did not get any written commitments from GrowRVA, which is overextended but unwilling to admit it. Had the meeting with the Friends of Chimborazo and other community folk happened when it should have, at the beginning of the process, then all of this mess would have been avoided because Dr. Newbille and GrowRVA would have been asked the important questions early. Anyone who thinks that the meeting with community caused the market to be cancelled is most definitely uninformed and quite possibly a fool.

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crd 05/29/2014 at 9:05 PM

Sorry you are leaving but honestly I think the vendors are stretched, and it was not an issue with meetings and complaints and parking. These are often small farmers (or individual artists). They just don’t have the staff, or the product, to show up at more than one farmer’s market on the same day! It’s really pretty simple. By the time they hire someone to run a second booth, they have to cut the amount of product in half and split it between two markets, and probably would not make much more because of the additional staff.

So hit up South of the James. Or even the Pumpkin Patch, out Wmbg. Rd. and left on Miller’s Lane to the intersection with Gay Ave., it’s open all week. By July when the tomatoes come in, and corn, it’s hopping.

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Trish 05/29/2014 at 10:17 PM

Bummer, I was looking forward to it but I understand about the vendors and glad that NIMBYism wasn’t an issue this time.

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J. Sears 05/30/2014 at 8:17 AM

#26
Nope, that was just an idiom that fits very nicely. Guess that went completely over yours.

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Lee 05/30/2014 at 8:59 AM

If there aren’t enough vendors, then clearly we need new vendors. Hopefully, having the new smaller market with room to grow and new space (the park) to migrate to once they need it will encourage more local farmers or would be local farmers to jump on the bandwagon. Sounds okay to me.

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Amy N-B 05/30/2014 at 9:43 AM

We are not leaving because of any problems with CH and are very supportive of efforts to better the schools. We are moving to GA because I got a better job.

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Melissa Pocock 05/30/2014 at 10:00 AM

“… and quite possibly a fool.” Yikes Rick, your post was well-informed, until the name calling. 🙁

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Dave 05/30/2014 at 11:53 AM

Why don’t we all just really support the Urban Farmhouse Farmer’s Market to show that this community wants and can support one. Once vendors see our response to that then maybe a real push to get vendors new & old in the park for a larger market will happen. Just a thought…and you’ll still get fresh produce and other fine goods!

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Daniel S 05/30/2014 at 11:58 AM

I just got an email response from GROWRVA regarding the market at Chimborazo.

To summarize:
1. It appears they will still have the 4th Fridays event at the Urban Farmhouse (33rd and Marshall).

AND

2. The Saturday event is still happening every Saturday (not just the first) and it will be at the Urban Farmhouse (33rd and Marshall), not Chimborazo Park.

This is from GROWRVA:
We are continuing our Fourth Friday’s event (although tonight is the fifth Friday) and adding a Saturday market as well. And yes it will be every Saturday. We also are planning smaller pop-up markets throughout the community. We’re meeting with the Robinson Theater to coordinate a Wednesday market with SNAP and nutrition education programs through our FeedRVA non-profit.
Thank you for your interest and support.
GrowRVA

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mark 06/03/2014 at 9:25 AM

I hope some one remembers to put up signs in the park redirecting the people that are coming , There have been people making announcements about it at church and other social functions the last few months around town.

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mark 06/03/2014 at 9:28 AM

Good Idea ,Consolidation better. A smaller success is better than a large failure,Good things start with good leadership!

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