I am new to the concept of CSA, and will find out the background today. My thoughts are this. I currently own a store at a Famous Market in Buffalo. The concept has been brought up to bring CSA to this area to foster local eating and supporting farmers, but to also bring more traffic into our suffering customer base. I understand the concept of bringing customers with this type of program, but it seems it would hurt our local vendors that are selling produce. Now these vendors may not have local vegetables at all, or at all times. So help me to understand how this will not affect our struggling vendors, and even places such as Clintion Bailey Farmers Markets. I deal with distributors everyday in my business so I understand the concepts of the "middle man", but even understanding taking out the middle man I benifit from distributors just based on the fact that most of mine are giving free shipping verses buying direct. The few cents I save gets gouged in shipping fees. Okay I digressed. I am all for local farmers, local food building a great traffic for my store, but at what costs to our vendors? Now I am very naive to the concept of this all so please be kind. Spicey

I have a Native Offerings Fruit Share, and it's fantastic!

Spicey, I think that bringing in CSA's or some sort of cooperation to with the Clinton-Bailey Market people (especially in the winter) would be a huge boost to the markets business. Would it increase the competition for some of the current venders, sure it would, but that isn't a bad thing. Competition is good because it offers variety to the consumer.

It would also promote the market as something it hasn't been for a long time. A place to go and shop for daily needs but at the same time capitalize on a niche that isn't available at a lot of places. Bringing fresh produce to the market would guarantee for the people willing to make a trip that they are going to receive quality at a good price. I often would go to the C-B market and then stop at the Broadway Market on the way home. They offer two different types of food. Most of the reasons I go to the market is for meat, fish, bread, spices, candy. I don't go there, especially in the summer months for produce. Because it isn't as reliable as the markets are. It should be.

So while it might put pressure one / two venders in the short term it would definitely help the market overall. Maybe they would need to focus on products not served from the CSA's or produce some processed good, or provide the out of season produce when the CSA's don't have them. Either way I think you can start to see how it would make the market a better place for shopping. Especially considering that it can be out of the way or a decision to go to you want to make sure people are getting the most of their visit.

Same reason why I feel you should open the market to other ethnicities food. Were is the halal stand, the kebab stand etc. There is HUGE potential to creating the diverse atmosphere that people want would be willing to make the trip for. I could go on but I am already probably considered a blog hog.