Bloomington Farmer's Market Analysis

Bloomington's Farmer's Market

From being at the Bloomington Farmer’s Market for only an hour, I quickly realized that there was a plentiful supply of food, music, politics, and people. Prior to this experience, I had never been to a farmer’s market before. The overall atmosphere is what surprised me the most. Initially, I had no idea that so many people went to these markets, but in retrospect, I understand fully why so many people do go. Whether you are looking for some quality entertainment through musical performances, looking to squire a farm fresh meal, looking to find information about politics and the community, or looking to take the family out for a fun filled day, the Bloomington Farmer’s market does not disappoint.

Although I noticed that the political stands were considerably less concentrated with people, I found these booths quite interesting. Although I am pretty new to the Bloomington area, there are a few things that I have picked up on. Mark Kruzan is the mayor of Bloomington. He is a democrat. Personally, I find this fascinating because there were republican booths at the farmer’s market, but no democratic booths. From this, I concluded that Bloomington is a town that is primarily dominated by the Democratic Party. From my understanding, the republican stand was there to try to rally republicans up to change the political status of Bloomington in the next election. More interestingly, I concluded that the absence of a democratic stand was indicative of comfort; they were confident that they would have no trouble winning more than enough votes to be the following representative of Bloomington. I am not sure if it was strategic or coincidence, but directly adjacent to the Republican stand was a music group that was playing upbeat, high-spirited music. If they did in fact locate here strategically, they used the music to set the mood for the attendees. If not, then they were luckily treated to some cheerful music for the entire day.

The majority of the booths were selling food to no ones surprise. One observation that I made was that similar foods were located near each other. Fresh fruits and vegetables were nearly all located near each other. I believe the reason why this is true is because the various vendors are confident in their product and want as much traffic as possible to come their way; after all, the produce is the biggest reason for people to shop at the farmer’s market. Additionally, the more substantial meals were located near each other. I believe this to be true for the same reason as the produce. Another intriguing thing that I noticed was the high concentration of families and children near the concession stands. Children weren’t really located near the vendors that sold raw food; they were more so located near the vendors that had food that was meant for eating on the spot. On hot, sunny afternoons, children get tired, sweaty, hot and cranky. This holding true, their parents treat them to a delicious snack, or a refreshing drink to keep their spirits high for the remaining duration of their stay. Being a prosperous seller at the farmer’s market is very strategic. For example, the kettle corn station knows that a large part of their target market is directed towards families and more specifically children. Being located in the area with the most children traffic helped them to maximize revenues. The music attracted the children, and then the children were attracted to popcorn; very simple, yet effective marketing techniques were used. One tactic that was used was the power of free samples. Free samples are used all the time to trigger impulse buys. This tactic worked wonderfully on me. I love tomatoes, so after tasting a fresh, juicy, delicious tomato, I felt obliged to purchase one.

Music is arguably the most essential part of the entire farmer’s market even though it is not the most profitable. Without a doubt, the overall majority of the traffic definitely revolved around the music stands; especially the group that was located near the entrance of the farmer’s market. Music really sets the overall atmosphere for the market. Audition is perhaps the most important sense in business because of its ability to capture people’s attention so easily. After stopping and listening to music for a while, people’s attention then shifts to booths that they see while they were listening to music. Had the music not been present, many people would not have noticed some of the excellent vendors. Music attracts people to the farmer’s market and it also attracts booths to the farmer’s market.

As mentioned earlier, families and children clearly flocked toward the music. Less noticeably, they also gathered around the “adopt a puppy” station. The crowd was highly diversified with age. People ranged from being months old, to decades old, to nearly a century old. All were there for quality entertainment and quality products. Music, family, politics, and food all compliment each other nicely, which provides great assistance in bringing everyone closer together.

The farmer’s market is very comparable to participatory music. For example, buyers were expected to interact with sellers. When I walked down by the political booths, a woman saw me writing in my notebook and asked me a few question because I was awkwardly walking up to the booths, looking at them, and asking no questions. Interaction is welcomed and expected at the farmer’s market. That is what makes it similar to participatory music. While watching a performer, they too asked for help in participation. He was playing the guitar and harmonica and asked the audience for help by giving him a steady beat. Although it was clearly obvious that some people could not maintain a constant beat, it brought the audience together and everyone was having fun. This aspect is very much the same with participatory music. Musicians at the market realize that their income comes from donations made by the audience. Therefore, they try their best to be the most inclusive and entertaining rather than solely the best sounding. People go to the market to have fun, and participatory music can provide loads of fun for everyone. Another observation that I made was that there were no musicians that were on a stage. This is because there is more of a personal connection with the audience when they are on their level and not on top of a hierarchal pyramid.

After sharing my first experience at the farmer’s market with some great friends, I can truly say that it was a memorable experience that I will not soon forget. The music set a mood that sparked the prosperity of large quantities of vendors at the market. The atmosphere was unreal and definitely something that was appreciated by many.