Farewell to Schuylkill River Park

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It seems very strange to say farewell to Schuylkill River Park. We have been there since the first farmers market started in 2005. We have seen vendors come and go, we have endured construction around the park, and in the park, and next to the park, and we have gotten to know many wonderful people in the community who come out and support our farm through their purchases at the market.

The park is beautiful now, with its renovated pathways, dog park, and plantings. The community garden is full with creative plots. Why would we want to leave?

A simple question with a complicated answer. We are fortunate that our business has grown dramatically over the past decade. We have more CSAs, more restaurants placing orders, more companies wanting to provide produce for their employees, and more business at our home market on the farm.

We have finite resources.

I have rolled this around in my head for quite a while now. My decision affects all of our employees, our customers, and our revenue. It is a major business decision which is overlaid with all the positive feelings I have developed for Schuylkill River Park and the community over the years. Change is inevitable in life, and change is required in business. This is a big change, but it was a big change to start doing off-site farmers markets. My grandparents had taken produce to the King Street Farmers Market in Wilmington, Delaware, for years (my grandfather’s spot was at the corner of 6th and King).  It was a change when the family stopped going to the Wilmington market after World War II and sold directly out of the barn, as more people built homes outside of the city limits and closer to the farm. When we started participating in farmers markets in various locations from 2000 to now, it was a new venture for me, and very different from the 1930s markets.

Now, we are embracing this change as an opportunity to strengthen the farm and our family. We wish our customers at Schuylkill River Park all the best, and we hope that you will continue to place orders with us at Honey’s or Metropolitan Bakery or other venues in the area and visit us at Fitler Square on Saturdays.

~ Ruth


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