When driving through the suburbs or urban neighborhoods on a Saturday morning, it is not unusual to see community co-ops, flea markets, and Farmer’s Markets. Gail Harris, a long-time resident of Lawnside, New Jersey a historic mostly African-American town, decided Lawnside needed a Farmer’s Market.
Many of the surrounding communities and towns had established Farmer’s Markets but Lawnside did not. So in 2020, Gail Harris asked MaryAnn Wardlow the town’s mayor, why not? The mayor’s response was no one ever asked to start one.
So Gail Harris secured the required permits and set out to promote an open-air Farmer’s Market in the town. “I’ve been a resident here in Lawnside for twenty years, and I wanted to bring an African-American Farmer’s Market to our community, to educate the people and also bring farm- fresh food from farmers that are within the community into our borough. This was supposed to have happened last year, but unfortunately, due to COVID, the mayor had to shut it down. The mayor came back to me in December of 2020 and asked me if I still had the idea of bringing a Farmer’s Market to the community, I said yes I do, and she said ‘please make it happen.’”
Mrs. Harris immediately got to work securing the needed permits and approvals, and on May 1, 2021, they held their grand opening in the parking lot of the borough’s park. The weather the first two weeks wasn’t that great by Mrs. Harris believes once the weather becomes more seasonable more vendors, retailers and shoppers will come. “I have the sup- port of the mayor and the support of the borough council, and they are backing me, so this is what we are going to do. We will be here from May 1 through October 2, every Saturday rain or shine. The vendors will increase, I already have commitments for future dates, the entertainers will in- crease, the education around fresh produce and food for our community will be here, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
A Farmer’s Market usually features locally or regionally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. The Lawnside Farmer’s Market has their own local organic food growers who used to participate in the neighboring towns’ flea markets and Farmer’s Market but now participates with Mrs. Harris and the Lawnside Farmer’s Market. “We have a young lady here, (Dr.) Cynthia Hall, she’s from Free Haven Farms. She has several acres of farmland, and she farms every year. She used to be one of the vendors at the Haddonfield Farmer’s Market. When she found out I was trying to create one here in Lawnside, she started bringing her produce and vegetables to Lawnside.”
In addition to creating the only African-American Farmers’ Market in the South Jersey area, Gail Harris wants to spark a rebirth and renaissance in Lawnside. “Lawnside has so much African-American history from the Underground Railroad, the post office, churches, and cemeteries. This was once Farmland, so now I want to bring it (the history) to light. This is something that has been overlooked,” she shared.
Thereisa$35feetovend,orsetupatableatthe Farmer’s Market. You can select as many Saturdays as you want. The fee has to be paid no later than the Friday before the Saturday you participate. Applicants also have to fill/se- cure a mercantile license from the Borough of Lawnside. The borough office is open Monday through Thursday for the mercantile licenses.
Mrs. Harris’s biggest challenge has been promoting the weekly event. They had banners across Warwick Road, the main thoroughfare, but forty-five mile an hour wind blew them down during a storm. “We have been placing flyers on people’s property, in the churches, and children have been taking flyers home from school.” She’s been on Patty Jackson’s radio program. Gail Harris is doing everything she can to promote the Farmer’s Market. Their Facebook page will go live on Monday, May 10th. Their website is still under construction. “Our challenge is to make sure the word continually gets out. The borough will put banners up next week so people can see them as they drive through town. The thing I love about today and our grand opening is we are getting a mixture of customers. All kinds of folks are coming. A lot of people have told me they’ve gotten the word, they know about us, and we are growing.”
The Lawnside Farmers’ Market is open Saturday 9-2 from May 1 through October 2 at the Lawnside Park park- ing lot on E. Charleston Avenue. Across the street from the Wayne Bryant Community Center. For more information call, Gail Harris at 1 800 614-6085 or (215) 300-3345
