Vine Street Market in O’Fallon sprouts new format during coronavirus lockdown
With a delay in re-opening the Vine Street Market this May, a new idea has sprouted to give shoppers another option while supporting local farmers and businesses.
The Drive-Thru Market, now available every Tuesday from 5-6 p.m. at the O’Fallon Station parking lot, takes pre-orders and is pre-pay only.
The first Drive-Thru was April 14, and a grand success, said Vine Street Market Coordinator Sarah Burton, who is also the city’s horticulturist. She said she borrowed the idea from other area farmers’ markets.
“I adapted it to fit what we can do. We are in unchartered waters with the current pandemic and wanted to offer a shopping option in lieu of going into a store, plus it supports our local farmers and businesses.
“Our setup allows us to eliminate close contact transactions, like exchanging money and people gathering in one location. While this concept goes against everything a standard farmers market is about — in terms of meeting the person growing your food and interacting with your community — from a safety standpoint it is our only option,” she said.
Participating vendors are updated by Friday on the website: https://ofallonstation.com/vendors-vine-street-market-drive-thru/.
“Orders must be placed with each individual vendor. To learn how to order and what vendors are participating, customers can visit our webpage. All the details about order deadlines and how to place an order can be found there. Vendors can change week to week based on what they have available so it is important to check Facebook and Instagram at @vinestreetmarketofallon as well as the web address listed above,” Burton said.
The drive-thru concept comes with some concessions and additions, she said.
“The Vine Street Market was built on the concept of offering locally grown food that is in season. We are very early in the growing season right now, so not a lot of locally grown produce is available,” Burton said. “Because of that, we have allowed our vendors to buy produce in an effort to offer our community a fresh option without having to go to a store.
“Of course, we still have locally grown meat, eggs and locally made bread, baked goods, and other food items, so we haven’t deviated too much from the regular market except from a produce standpoint. As more local produce is grown, that is what will be available at the market.
New to the market is the inclusion of O’Fallon Downtown District businesses that offer a product to sell.
“The Downtown District has been supportive of the market, now is our opportunity to do our part in supporting them as well. In order to maintain proper social distancing, businesses that offer services are not allowed to participate, but businesses that have a product to sell are participating. Furchild, Art Gecko, Sanctuary Salon and Spa and Three Sisters Crafts are an example of businesses that are in the drive thru market,” she said.
This week’s offerings are from 17 small businesses, mostly family run: D&M Farms, DeMange Family Farms, Main Street Pastures, Vast Produce, Heirloom & Artisan, Kaleidoscope Craft Brew Coffee, Lizzie Bob’s Bakery, Patoogins Soapatry, Absolute Tonics, Nitro Salsa, Furchild, Sugar’ Pies, Sanctuary Salon and Spa and Three Sisters Crafts.
Vine Street Market plans for big 2nd year
Now in its second year, the Vine Street Market is planned for May to October business, but with the ongoing public health crisis, no one knows right now when it will be open for regular business.
“We will continue with the drive-thru model until we are able to open the regular farmers market. At this time, we are not completely sure when that will be but will follow the recommendations of the state,” Burton said.
Another fresh concept is a new “Meet the Market” segment that will post every Monday on Facebook and Instagram, offering an inside look at the vendors.
“It is a way for us to highlight our vendors and will focus on those from the drive-thru market first. This is a way for our community to learn who makes up the Vine Street Market since they aren’t able to interact and learn about them face to face right now,” she said.
Briony Rutzinski, the Department of Parks and Recreation’s special events coordinator, is leading this project.
“She is new to our team. We are really excited to have Briony on board. She has a lot of fresh ideas and has been a fantastic help thus far. She helps at the drive-thru market each Tuesday night as well,” she said.
To faster process the drive-thru, the market folks are asking customers to put their name and who they ordered from on a sheet of paper in their car window so they can help them move through the line faster.
About O’Fallon Station
The O’Fallon Station was constructed through the Destination O’Fallon economic development project. A $1.5 million pavilion and gathering space was designed to hold events throughout the year, and opened briefly during the 2018 holiday season, but officially was ready in spring 2019. The Vine Street Market opened in May, and the popular farmers market drew thousands every Saturday morning until mid-October.
Its first year exceeded its goals.
Mary Jeanne Hutchinson, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees O’Fallon Station and its rentals, including Vine Street Market, said the number and quality of venders exceeded her expectations.