* THE FINER THINGS
SMART MARKETS BY JEAN JANSSEN PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JEAN JANSSEN
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trolling through the Smart Markets Reston farmers’ market on a typical Wednesday afternoon or evening, you will see a bustling market with a wide variety of local farmers, graziers, and home-based cooks. You can buy a week’s worth of healthy groceries and a few little treats to reward all that healthy eating. You can also buy dinner to go or sit and enjoy dinner al fresco in a lovely tree-blessed setting with a small pond and fountain. If you are lucky, you will be at the market on a day when there is a top-notch musical performance, a cooking class, a nutrition demo, or an interactive demonstration by the smoothie vendor. No matter what day it is, the market will look like a market that cares about your family’s health and happiness. It looks as if everyone is happy to be there, vendors and shoppers alike, and as if a lot of money is changing hands. Business is brisk. What makes this and Smart Markets’ other markets in Northern Virginia so different from others in the area? And why are they different? What goes on behind the scenes to create markets that work so hard to make the
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shopper feel part of a community? What makes these markets fun as well as educational, and how does that contribute to the success of the markets as a business enterprise? Smart Markets communicates weekly with shoppers and vendors, always working to connect with the community to bridge the gap between farmer and customer. Through weekly newsletters, Ms. Janssen captivates her audience by providing more than just vendor highlights and delicious recipes. She provides an insider’s view of the foods provided in the market and how and where they are grown or raised. She often profiles farmers and their methods and reminds shoppers that highquality, safe, and healthy food takes hard work and long hours in the field. She often reminds readers of the importance of knowing where their food comes from. Much of this information is also provided in weekly Facebook postings, tweets, and posts on Patch websites. Smart Markets also distributes flyers countywide to support all six of its markets. Flyers highlighting vendors at each market are printed up in short order if necessary to provide to schools, businesses, and organizations that request them.
RESTON | LIVE, WORK, PLAY AND GET INVOLVED™
Volunteer market managers are available to meet and speak with the community about Smart Markets. They participate in numerous Fun and Fitness events, Earth Day forums, and Healthy Living activities of all kinds. They provide free recipes and a variety of educational and motivational materials at each market. Market managers work hard to meet and greet customers and sign them up to receive newsletters. Vendors appreciate the work that goes into making successful and lively markets. Doug Linton of Angelic Beef has been a vendor since the beginning. He says that he can see that “there is always an emphasis to better the market.” He also appreciates being surrounded by high-quality vendors at sites which have been selected with care and attention to details and that provide good visibility and access. West Virginia farmer Max Tyson has been with Smart Markets for four years. He appreciates the web-based marketing Smart Markets provides and says the vendors feel good knowing that “Smart Markets is promoting us.” The cooking classes and music performances “make the market alive,” he says.