Community Market in the Works Would you like to shop at a local community market committed to local, organic and sustainablyproduced food? What about a market open seven days a week, 12 hours a day? How about a market that sells sustainablygrown and organic produce, grocery and dairy products, deli/salad bar items, freshly baked goods, bulk foods and herbs, meat, beer and wine, and health and body care products?

 

The answer would be Yes! Yes! Yes!

Thankfully, for the Fayetteville area, a group of local progressive and dedicated sustainers, with a strong desire to promote preservation of the small farms and businesses of the community, is planning to open such a market in downtown Fayetteville.

Its name? Lafayette Market

Lafayette Market will work closely with local growers, ranchers and producers to provide the community with regular access to fresh and nutritious food. Your food will no longer be more welltraveled than you. The fruit and vegetables will probably come from a local small farm just down the road. The meat from the market is probably raised by a rancher on just the other side of town. Those great bath salts you enjoy so much may have been made by a mother and her children spending the day together.

The market also plans to offer a fullservice deli with hot foods and salad bar items with a triplecertified coffee bar! Some of the valueadded products you will find at the market, along with those listed above, are jams, salsa, pickles, soaps and lotions. The products offer the following: no animal testing, GMO free, gluten free, fair trade, hormone and antibiotic free meats, free range eggs and meats, certified organic, whole grain and minimally processed.

By working with local producers, Lafayette Market will allow you to spend your dollars in your community and keep them recirculating in your community, instead of being whisked away to foreign or outofstate markets.

How did this idea come about? Jackie and Louie Hough of Raft Swamp Farms, being familiar with Chatham Marketplace and the Weaver Street Market, thought, "Why not here?" After sending a message to local stakeholders describing the concept of this type of market, they were overwhelmed with responses of support. Two public informational meetings were held, a board of directors was formed, and the work began to make this dream a reality.

Alan Dover, Vice Chairman of the Lafayette Market Board of Directors, shared the following sentiment about the market, "We want to create a place where people from all walks of life can come and buy fresh, natural food products produced by their neighbors in a safe, friendly and welcoming environment. It will be a place where not only fresh, wholesome ingredients can be had, but also a place where patrons and owners have the opportunity to meet the people who raised/produced the product, talk to them about it and perhaps even learn how to best prepare it for themselves and their families." Mr. Dover sees the market as an opportunity to provide an alternative to large chain stores, and to provide educational opportunities by "helping our citizens to understand why it is important to all of us that we support local, sustainable agriculture economically and socially."

A location for the market has not yet been determined, but the board is open to suggestions. They are currently in the process of compiling a list of providers for the market, so if you're a local grower or maybe even interested in future employment, they would love to hear from you.

Please visit the Lafayette Market website for future information and future updates. If you are a grower who wants to be part of this venture, a future employee or you want to subscribe to their listserve send an email to info@lafayettemarket.coop. Subscribers, make sure you type "subscribe" in the subject line so you can stay informed of progress and opportunities with the market.