From working with my community organization, HOPE Village Revitalization Farmers Market, I have learned about the neighborhood of HOPE Village and the history of the organization and the farmers market. HOPE Village is a neighborhood with a high senior citizen population with a limited amount of second spaces and one nearby grocery store. The farmer’s market was an idea made in collaboration between the community members and the organization to revamp a vacant parking lot in the neighborhood. The market’s goal is to bring fresh produce to the community and give everyone a place to connect with each other and enjoy cultural activities.
The pandemic has impacted the market’s customer attendance. Like many businesses after the pandemic, they are working to rebuild their customer, as well as vendor, base. I am currently working with them on marketing research to help them with this issue.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the market days is being able to talk with community members. Most of the people I work with are from the community, and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know them and their experiences in HOPE Village. I also work at the front table in the market, so I greet a lot of customers and have great conversations about a huge range of topics. For example, yesterday I learned of a public health initiative that one of the visitors is trying to start. I’m always learning something new at the market.
Hey Marie! What an inspiring initiative! It’s wonderful to see how HOPE Village Revitalization Farmers Market has brought fresh produce and a sense of community to an area with limited resources. The collaboration between the organization and community members is truly commendable. It’s unfortunate that the pandemic has impacted attendance, but I’m glad to hear that efforts are underway to rebuild the customer and vendor base. Your involvement in marketing research is valuable in helping the market overcome this challenge. It’s heartwarming to hear that connecting with community members and engaging in conversations at the market has been such a rewarding experience for you. The exchange of ideas and learning about initiatives like the public health initiative showcase the power of community-driven spaces. Keep up the great work in supporting this vibrant farmers market!
Hi Marie, I think it is very admirable that the farmer’s market was made “in collaboration” with the community and it’s a shame that Covid had that kind of impact on HOPE Village. I do think that the research you get to part take in is exactly what is needed to solve the issues that came about from it. I hope things go smoothly for you!
Hey Marie! Sorry this is a late comment to your post, but I wanted to respond to your post. I think it’s really interesting to hear about your project – I really like the idea of turning an empty parking lot into something that serves a purpose for the community. I recently learned about a new initiative by the Detroit city government to install solar panel farms in the neighborhoods of Detroit that have a lot of vacant or abandoned land. At first, I thought that these solar panels would be primarily used to supply the neighborhoods with renewable energy, but I soon learned that they are actually planned to supply city hall and other governmental buildings with renewable energy instead. There are some benefits to participating in the initiative for local neighborhoods, however, I couldn’t help but think that the usage of these neighborhood’s vacant space is not going to be directly beneficial to their residents. Either way, it’s certainly an interesting idea to consider how to make find a use for unused space.