East-side’s loss is downtown’s gain as farmers market moves to Wichita’s Union Station
He’s been managing an auxiliary Kansas Grown Farmers Market for the past three years in the parking lot of Whole Foods, 1423 N. Webb Road.
But starting next week, Ken Smith will be one of 12 vendors at that market’s new location — the big plaza at Union Station, 701 E. Douglas. Its first day will be Wednesday, May 20, when it will run from 3 to 6 p.m.
Smith, the owner of Steve’s Jams & Jellies in Towne West Square and a member of the Kansas Grown Farmers Market board, said that the group was approached by Union Station developer Occidental Management about starting a market downtown — an area that continues to fill with apartment dwellers but remains a “food desert,” with not many options for fresh food nearby.
Things weren’t going all that well out east, Smith said. Few vendors were showing up to the Whole Foods market last year, and customers would be frustrated when the market didn’t have out-of-season fruits and veggies and would head inside the grocery store for their purchases.
“Downtown is a food desert, and there’s not anything really midweek down there,” Smith said. “We thought, ‘Let’s give this a try.’”
To start, the market will have only 12 vendors, mainly so managers can help achieve social distancing between booths. It can eventually grow to about 16 vendors, Smith said.
The first market will have a mix of vendors selling things like jellies and jams, fresh beef and fresh vegetables. There also will be a few craft vendors, and even Kalaya Emu Estates, which sells emu meat, oil and eggs.
Union Station isn’t allowing vehicles on its brick plaza, so vendors will set up their goods on tables and under canopies.
Organizers will encourage social distancing among customers at the market, and hand sanitizing stations will be set up, Smith said.
“I think we’ll have a better turnout, not only with vendors but with customers,” he said. “We really are encouraging the community to come downtown and see what’s going on because if they support it, those vendors will stay. If they’re not doing well, they’re not going to stay.”
Kansas Grown also runs the big farmers market that happens Saturday mornings at the Sedgwick County Extension Center, 7001 W. 21st St. It has another auxiliary market at 512 E. Madison in Derby.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 1:21 PM.
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