(Flint, MICH. – June 25, 2014) The entrepreneurial spirit was on full display as the Farmers’ Market opened its doors to the public on Saturday. The historic day drew close to 18,000 people for the day-long festivities.
“Saturday’s opening exceeded our expectations,” said Tim Herman, President Uptown Reinvestment Corporation and CEO, Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce. “The energy and excitement throughout the day was a welcome sign that Flint is moving in the right direction.”
According to 20-year market veteran Melody McCarron, Owner of McCarron’s Orchard, Saturday was the best day ever.
“I sold out of everything on Saturday and on Tuesday I sold out again. We have only been open two days and it has been amazing. I’m extremely excited for the future,” said McCarron.
Equipped with a device that tracks shopper traffic, the new market is able to accurately track daily visitors. According to Dick Ramsdell, Director, Flint Farmers’ Market the ability to gauge traffic is a very useful feature of the new market.
“The ShopperTrack system allows us to get an accurate reading from each door,” said Ramsdell. “It tracks each visitor as they enter and uses a complex algorithm to give us a realistic read on the number of patrons. This is the first event where we can say for certain how many attendees we had, and we are blown away.”
Following is a breakdown of opening day by the numbers:
- $30,000 Dollars distributed by the FM Credit Union ATM located in the market by noon.
- 17,266 People in attendance at the grand opening.
- 2,000 Downtown parking spots filled during the day.
- 500 Riders MTA tracked on the shuttle to and from the Flint Art Fair.
- 113 Vendors inside, under the pavilion and on First Street.
- 90% Pavilion vendors sold out by the end of the day.
- 70% Indoor vendors sold out by end of day.
- 5 Downtown restaurants who said they did as well as or better than a day of Back
to the Brick’s or the Crim downtown’s two largest events.
The market, which is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday throughout the year, saw record crowds again on Tuesday.
“Tuesday’s crowds were by far the largest we have seen on a week day,” said Karianne Martus, Manager, Flint Farmers’ Market. “We are so grateful for the support of the community. It’s exciting to see the market become a real gathering place for the community. In these first two days, we’ve seen so many familiar faces and many new faces, all with smiles from ear to ear.”
To learn more about the new Flint Farmers’ Market visit www.flintfarmersmarket.com.