Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-05-27
POINTS MAKING
FOR A SUCCESSFUL
ROADSIDE MARKET
Maine Department of Agriml
ture Issues Bulletin Contain.
Ing Suggestions and Giyh,
Other Information Relatiys
to Attractive Roadside Mar.
ketS

The State department Of azr,c,.
ture in a bulletin entitled 'Roads,a.
| Markets made public yesterd..
gives some Of the points which mai.
for a successful roadside markes !.
| follows:
Ffrst-The market should be Ioc..
ed where easily seen and approacs.
ed without danger. The parkIpv
space should be ample.
Second-The stand need not be ~.
pensive, but should be neat win
clean and orderly surrounding,
Frequent use OF paint will keen s.
its attractiveness. Ample displsv
space should be provided. Shade Il,
the stand and parking space helm
Third-There should be a yarietv
of fruits and vegetables. fresh ans
| attractively shown. The mark,
should be open for business as earIv
in the season as possible and con.
slant supply should be kept on hama
Fourth-Establish fair prices.
Fifth-Use attractive signs. an.
| nouncing what you have to sell. Thai
| will get the attention of the motorist
before he reaches the market stand
The bulletin tells of the result On
| a survey made last season of ROAD.
| side markets and it states that TIA
farm products handled in the road.
| side markets that seem to be tha
most popular are fixed vegetables
with potatoes by far the most COM
mon, green peas, sweet corn, cucum.
bers, lettuce, squash and cabbage the
best sellers.
Next to vegetables come egps
butter, fruits and dressed poultry in
the order named as the best sellers
! continues the bulletin.
Apples are by far the most popu.
lar fruit with Strawberries, black.
berries, plums, raspberries and blue
berries meeting a ready sale. Too
much care cannot be taken in hay-
ing everything fresh and clean. One
of the most successful owners stated
In positive terms that anything like
greens which have wilted or shrivel-
led should be thrown away at once
as it hurts the sale of the rest Of the
produce.
picking out stands which handls
only farm products, the average vol.
ume of business was $3.50 for the sea.
son. Taking a similar number Of
stands where no farm products at all
are sold, but confectionery, soft
drinks, and lunches are depended
upon entirely, and the average IS
Sab or nearly 500 less. This would
seem to indicate that the compara-
lively short season in which the
farm products are available renders
the farm stand more profitable than
the others. 1t is especially true that
the stands succeed best where Q var
iety of products are carried. This
may be made possible by planting a
succession of the same crops on ones
own farm, or by arrangements for
handling the produce of nearby
neighbors.
This last suggestion is a good
opportunity for community CO.
operation. Too often it was plain 70
see in this survey that stands with
only small quantities of one or two
products were taking most Of the
time of one person to watch with
only a few customers. On the other
hand, a stand with good assortments
of fruits and vegetables kept one or
more persons really busy. These
busy Stands were also careful to get
the crops in stock just as soon as
possible and kept them on sale just
as long as the season lasted. Sixty
out of 81 reported that it was come
mon for customers to trade with
them repeatedly.
only seven stand owners out OF
those visited reported buying farm
produce from city wholesalers.
'The great majority used the re-
tail price in nearby towns or cities
as basis for price making depend.
ing on the freshness of the produce
to attract customers. Only a few
made an adjustment between whole
sale and retail prices. Here Is
point which only experience VIII
show the correct answer. While ths
novelty lasts, the townspeople may pc
willing to pay full retail price fsr
their farm produce. 1t is doubtful
however, if in state like ours
where producers make daily deliver.
les of fresh products to the town ana
city stores that the slight difference
in freshness will be enough induce
ment for the consumer to motor %
the country for his supplies"