Easter Market kicks off new season

The Clover Valley Farmers’ Market got back into full swing last weekend–setting the stage for another season with new managers during its annual two-day Easter Market.
While business was fairly slow on opening day last Thursday, the number of customers who turned out Saturday more than satisfied the market’s vendors and its two managers–sisters-in-law Deb Cornell and Pat Clysdale-Cornell.
“Thursday was very slow but the vendors hadn’t seen each other for six months and they had a really great time re-acquainting themselves with each other,” Cornell chuckled Monday. “They were really upbeat considering it was a slow day.
“But everyone seemed very satisfied with Saturday,” she added.
“Sales were good Saturday,” agreed Clysdale-Cornell. “Vendors were really happy.
Among them was Sheri Stamarski of Burriss, who’s been a vendor at the local farmers’ market for some time. There was hardly time to turn around before her pies, breads, and sweet pastries were sold.
“I had some stuff left over Thursday but then I baked all day Friday and it was almost sold right out by 11 a.m. [Saturday],” she noted.
Alma Tucker also was pleased with Saturday’s turnout. When it was all said and done, she had sold a lot of hand-painted Ukrainian Easter eggs from her booth.
“I did pretty good but I haven’t even counted how many I sold–maybe 20,” said Tucker, who brings the elaborately-decorated eggs to the market each year.
“A lot of people were looking to add to their collection, or to give [an egg] as a gift, or were collecting for somebody else,” she added.
But they aren’t just for Easter, Tucker stressed. While Ukrainian tradition dictates the eggs as symbols of the rebirth of nature and victory of life, new-age thinking has made them great gifts for birthdays and other holidays.
“You can give a [hand-painted] egg any time of the year,” she noted.
Meanwhile, the 20 cans of paint used to revamp the floor of the market building prior to opening day didn’t go unnoticed by customers, said Clysdale-Cornell.
“Oh, lots of people commented on it–it was big job that needed to be done,” she said.
“We’ve also reorganized the layout [of the market] a little better,” she added. “We studied traffic patterns from last year and decided to shift the booths around a little bit.”
A brand new sign also will be added to the exterior south side of the building within the next few days. “It will be twice as big as before,” Clysdale-Cornell said.
A bulletin board will be posted at the market to inform customers about upcoming themes, occasional vendors, and seasonal ones for each Saturday.
“We’ll keep updating it if there are changes,” said Clysdale-Cornell. “It’s important to keep customers informed.”
“We have fewer seasonal vendors but that’s kind of nice because it keeps [accommodations] flexible for those who want an occasional space,” added Cornell.
Usually the market closes after the Easter weekend until the beginning of May but because the holiday fell so late this year, plans are to keep it going now through the end of October.
But the market will be closed Saturday, July 1 to allow vendors time with their families over the Canada Day holiday.
This Saturday will be “Maple Syrup Week” at the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market, hosted by Kim Cornell of Devlin.