NW Houston News

Farmers markets are evolving in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tomball, Old Town Spring, and Jersey Village farmers markets are getting back on their feet as they provide a new experience. Many markets are creating an online presence and using social media to connect with potential buyers, all while taking the necessary precautions to provide safe conditions in lieu of the open-air atmosphere they are known for.

The Tomball Farmers Market reopened April 11 after closing down operations in mid-March. The market usually has 79 vendors, but they reduced that to 26 to ensure a 6-foot social distancing radius for each customer.

Although the market saw a much smaller turnout than usual, the vendors responded to the necessary precautions needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vendors were cleaning and wiping down their stations every hour and many were wearing face masks, even though they were not mandated.

Vendors did have an online preordering system in place that allowed customers to go pick up their orders and then leave.

“We wanted to offer another option, so that’s been going very well since mid-March," Executive Director Michelle Bundy told the Houston Chronicle. "That will continue even once we open regularly.”

For some vendors, it was the first time they had ever taken their business online. The Tomball Farmers Market now has an online newsletter that consumers can read.

The Old Town Springs Farmers Market postponed its opening until May 1, with plans to open Friday afternoons from 3:30-7:30 p.m. Only 20 vendors are confirmed, as some have decided to postpone returning until after summer.

“There are still a lot of small businesses out there and I think we’re well-educated now about how to go out in public,” event organizer Mary Middlebrook told the Chronicle. “I’m confident in our community to be responsible and support local and in our vendors to come out and offer products safely as well.”

The Jersey Village Farmers Market also closed shop during April and plans to return on May 3. The market is expecting a cut from 30 to 20 vendors to allow social distancing.

“We’re looking at what we might ask the vendors to do or provide them with gloves if they don’t have their own,” Recreation and Events Coordinator Josh Rodrigue told the Chronicle. “We’re looking at implementing precautions at least for May or some of the next couple of months.”