The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
MARKET FINDS A WAY TO STAY
Mapledale Farm owner offers to host weekly event
When Chardon Square Association canceled its Farmers Market this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, many local farmers were left wondering what to do as vendors had goods but nowhere to sell them.
Then Dave Johnson, owner of Mapledale Farm, stepped up.
On July 24, Johnson held the Farmers Market at the Mapledale Farm on Old State Road in Chardon.
He has offered to host the remaining weekly events on his property every Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. through Aug. 14.
Johnson, who has been a sponsor for the event for years, spoke with the association and many vendors, and they agreed to host it at Mapledale Farm.
He wanted to help his community and agricultural workers in the area.
“Why don’t we have it at our place — it’s private property, in a township; we have the property, we have the facility it’s open-air,” he continued.
“So we sent out a blast email to everybody, and most of them were very interested.
“They needed somewhere to sell their product.”
"... we have the property, we have the facility, it’s open-air." — Dave Johnson, owner of Mapledale Farm
Johnson put the event together in four days, so it wasn’t the amount of vendors as initially expected, but they were able to get at least six vendors in a very short amount of time.
The vendors included: Mark’s Apiaries, Watatees, Platinum Farms, The Creative Hippie, Carriage House Soaps and Lucy’s Premium Ice Cream.
Johnson said he was very cautious and made sure to follow guidelines on safe distancing and wearing of masks during the event.
“You’re outside, more than six feet away, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Johnson says to anyone worried about social distancing.
Mapledale’s retail store is also open each Friday during the Farmers Market
for residents interested in learning more about the company.
Mapledale Farm provides professional landscape services and snow and ice removal to commercial and residential clients in Cuyahoga, Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counties. It offers a retail showroom full of items needed for outdoor maintenance and living.
The family business started in 1874 as a dairy farm in Chardon and has reinvented itself many times.
Today they also provide topsoil, mulch, gravel and any other type of landscape supply for retail and wholesale use. They also make and sell honey.
They also recently started offering outdoor poly furniture.
The Farmers Market at Mapledale will continue weekly through August and possibly longer. New vendors are being added weekly, and their information is located on their Facebook page. Prospective vendors should email Susan at smononen@mapledalefarm.co.