2023 Tinley Park Farmers Market Year-End Report

2023 Tinley Park Farmers Market Year-end Report

The 2023 Tinley Park Farmers Market took place over 19 weeks from June 3rd- October 14th. The following report recaps this year’s market.

Location The Tinley Park Farmers Market took place in Zabrocki Plaza, located at 17375 S. Oak Park Ave.

Date and Time The Farmers Market took place every Saturday from June 3rd to October 14th. It was open from 8AM12:30PM. The only exceptions were: July 15th - Market closed for annual block party October 14th - Market closed at 10AM due to inclement weather.

Vendor Stats The 2023 season saw a total of 58 vendors.

44 Full time vendors (June-October) Eight single day vendors (attended 1-3 times) Five Fall Market vendors added (September 9-October 14 0

5

10

15

20

Consumables

21

Other

12

Grown Flowers

6

Produce

6

Salsas, Sauces, Jams

5

Nuts and Spices

4

Baked Goods

4

Eggs/Meat

3

Our commitment to sourcing more farms, fresh food, flowers, and handmade items remained the same in 2023. We had an increase of 12 vendors of 2022 and all new vendors sold items that were consumable and/or locally grown.

Vendor Type

Entertainment We pride ourselves on offering entertainment and live music at our events. This year, The Farmers Market had live music scheduled for every day the market was open except one. For the 2025 season we are attempting to book more variety in our music.

For the second year we offered Family Yoga which saw an average of 15 participants at each session. Family Yoga was held approximately twice a month and was geared towards all ages and abilities. We look forward to hosting Family Yoga next year.

The Tinley Park Public Library also brought out the Bookmobile once a month. They delighted patrons of all ages with a selection of books, hosting a story time, signing up new library cards, and more!

New this year was a monthly scavenger hunt for families to participate in. Most weeks we had an average of ten participants who then received small prizes from the Village. The objective was to encourage kids and families to visit all booths and find things they may not have seen or tasted before.

National Farmers Market Day

Nationals Farmers Market Day was celebrated August 6th-12th. On August 12th the Tinley Park Farmers Market honored this day with a selection of activities and giveaways.

The first 100 market attendees received a free Farmers Market tote bag.

The Tinley Park Fire Department in conjunction with Project Fire Buddies came out with an engine and activities for kids and families Special Edition Scavenger Hunt The Tinley Park Bookmobile showcased books on farms, gardening, and DIY projects The Tinley Park Environmental Enhancement Commission came out to host a children’s craft using recycled materials.

Fall Market

The 2022 season saw a sharp decrease in traffic to the Tinley Park Farmers Market post Labor Day Weekend. To combat that drop in attendance in 2023 we re-opened applications for a 6-week Fall Market. Vendors who sold fall-inspired items were encouraged to apply. The market added five new vendors during this time. Vendors sold items such as outdoor décor, pumpkins, sunflowers and candles, and an additional food truck participated too. We also increased our entertainment efforts to bring in more variety and theming to each market day. We included face painting, balloon animal artists, mascot meet and greets, and a touch-a-truck..

Attendance

In 2023 the Tinley Park Farmers Market saw approximately 18,800 attendees. This is a 30% increase in attendance over last year.

Highlights include: June 3- First Market of the season: 1,460 attendees June 10 - Highest Attendance Day at 2,040 attendees Labor Day - Attendance was 1,250 which is a 50% increase over last year Fall Market -attendance was approximately 6,000 attendees compared to approximately 3,800 in 2022.

Busiest two hours is 10am-12pm on average.

2024 Goals We will continue with our mission to bring in more vendors and lively entertainment.

Two more locally grown produce vendors, that do not conflict with current Farmers Market roster.

Seeking out items such as breakfast sandwiches to compliment our strong variety of sweets and savory lunch items.

Bring back the ‘Grow With Us’ series with a more robust schedule of guest speakers or special guests with a focus on education around farming, sustainability, cooking, and growing.