Farmers Markets cope with COVID
Farmers markets across Colorado have opened for the season. Many are taking extra precautions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the (soon-to-be-former) Stapleton Farmers Market near Quebec and 29th Ave, the first thing you notice when entering the market are the signs; “Please limit congregation time. Per COVID regulations, please keep moving” and “Let’s do our part in having a safe market, please follow the traffic flow.” There are arrows on the ground showing the flow visitors should follow.
Some individual vendors are taking protective measures even further.
Diana Domenico with Ray Domenico Farms says, “we handle all the vegetables so people feel safe that not everyone is touching every single vegetable. And then all of our team has to wear masks and gloves at all times.” They also have extra tables and tape in front of their produce to create more distance.
Some vendors like La Montagne des Saveurs, who sell cheese, and Baba & Pop’s Handmade Pierogis have seen a decrease in sales. Both rely heavily of samples, which aren’t allowed under current regulations.
Stephanie Kost with Baba & Pop’s is standing in front of an empty table. “It looks very bare right now, but we would have our setup here to where we could pan-fry our pierogis. We used to have lines of people wanting to try a new product.” Now their only option is to sell pre-packaged pierogis. Kost says they are grateful they already had a big following.
Diana Domenico encourages people to still visit the market. “Every little bit means so much.”
The Stapleton Farmers Market, as well as the South Pearl Street Farmers Market, are hosted by Hobnob Events and run every Sunday 9AM to 1PM through October 11th.