SPRINGING TO LIFE
Bloomfield Saturday Market returns with masks, social distancing, new rules
The first spring Bloomfield Saturday Market happened Saturday morning, and it was surprisingly warm.
Warm from goodwill and happiness to be out of the house — despite the temperatures in the 30s — and the fact that the Bloomfield Development Corp. literally had to reconfigure the parking lot along Liberty Avenue that is the market’s home to ensure social distancing and other COVID-19 safety measures designed to prevent human contact.
The city neighborhood group’s executive director, Christina Howell, and market manager Abi Gildea were out in the McKean Lot — between Gross and South Winebiddle streets — while it was still dark with volunteers who, by the light of their headlamps, used chalk to mark where vendors should park to be much farther apart than usual, and where customers should stand to stay at least 6 feet from them and each other, too. snowflakes fell. And while they weren’t supposed to touch, people still connected.
“Hi, Max! How are you? Welcome back!” Ms. Howell cheerfully shouted to one friend in line, before she told a volunteer to let in another 20 customers. Other volunteers, chalk arrows and circles, and caution tape guided customers past hand-sanitizing stations on a one-way route that wound to all 30 vendors and showed where customers could shop and where
they could wait to pay.
Even from behind a barrier made from sheets of clear plastic and behind a plastic face shield and a red bandanna, Tiny Seed Farm’s Todd Wilson was able to explain to customers what Tokyo bekana is and how delicious the lovely pale cabbage is cooked and raw in salads. He handed bags of it, spinach, kale, pea shoots and other early spring produce to his face-shielded, glovewearing sidekick, “Minty” Mintgreen, who took customers’ payments by cash or credit card.
Mr. Wilson, who with three employees farms 2 acres in Hampton, said the chill he felt upon awakening wasn’t just from the weather.
“We’ve spent so much time isolating,” he said. “Exposing ourselves to something that we’re not sure about was a difficult decision.”
COVID-19 safety measures added even more work to the usual “laborious” process of packing up for the market, so when asked how the new protocols were working, he said, “I’ll let you know in a couple weeks.” But he was glad to be back at this popular market, which is an even more important source of income with some of the farm’s restaurant customers still unable to open to customers. Like others, the farm is trying new ways to reach customers, including an online store.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Bloomfield
Saturday Market, which is year-round, had to cancel the last winter market on March 21. But Ms. Gildea and Ms. Howell were emphatic about reopening on time this spring, for both the local producers and the neighbors who rely on their fresh food.
They researched evolving guidance and new rules and knew they’d have to make some big changes to the market, such as forbidding on-site preparation and consumption of food. But they worked to figure out ways to allow people to still shop on site, and not have to just preorder by phone or computer, because they know some marketgoers don’t have that access. They also know some need to shop in person to use their food stamp benefits, which this year, Just Harvest is matching dollar-for-dollar.
Being one of the first markets to open while many others have delayed opening and still aren’t sure what to do meant that a lot of eyes were on this debut — including those of Shelly Danko Day, Pittsburgh’s food policy adviser. She volunteered and liked what she was seeing.
“People are moving pretty briskly” as they’re supposed to, Ms. Danko Day said. But she also said that she noticed some were having trouble with a route that required doubling back over one stretch before exiting.
“It’s a learning process,” said Ms. Danko Day, who added that she was “getting lots of good ideas and thoughts.”
Vendors praised market organizers for their foresight and planning, which included video chats with them. “They put so much time and energy into getting this set up,” said Wise County Biscuits’ James Wolfe. “It made it a lot easier for us.” His partner, Lena Laskaris, said that even with everyone wearing masks, she was recognizing regulars.
Bloomfield Saturday Market is continuing to share what worked and what didn’t with other market managers, such as John Brown of the Mt. Lebanon Lions Farmers Market, who came to see what he could learn about best practices.
“Everything is changing so rapidly,” Mr. Brown said of state and federal guidance, before conferring — from several feet away — with Ms. Howell. Then he left, with some new information, as well as local pickles, bread and maple syrup.
The Bloomfield Saturday Market has another opportunity to be a leader, having recently been selected as one of three Project for Public Spaces Market Cities Initiative to kick-start a citywide market strategy, along with its partners Just Harvest, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council and Penn State Extension Allegheny County.
The market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at 5050 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, 15224.