Shirley’s Farmers Markets Get Back on Track with Long Standing Vendors and Customers
Linnea Soerensen and Kate Behring report on the most recent edition of this farmer’s market in Reno, getting back to some form of normalcy after months of disruption and challenges.
A Long Tradition Keeps Going
On a hazy Saturday morning at 9:45 a.m. the most recent gathering of Shirley’s Farmers Markets already had plenty of customers looking to get some fresh produce. With Covid-19 being a big setback for many family-owned companies, and a usual summer through fall calendar severely disrupted, this particular farmer’s market on California Ave. was an opportunity not to be missed, both for vendors and customers.
Shirley’s Farmers Markets, which manages several local markets, originated with Shirley Sponsler. She says she began the first farmers market in Nevada thirty years ago in Sparks.
The one on California Avenue began twenty-seven years ago. They never shut down in 2020, although she says they did have to make some changes based on state and county directives.
Changing Times with a Loyal Customer Base
There were about fifteen vendors at the now back to schedule Saturday morning market, many of them long time regulars, including the Hole-In-One ranch. “The vendors have been with us since the start of the markets thirty years ago, I mean their kids have had kids and grown up and gone off to college,” said Pat Sponsler, Shirley’s husband, who helps out.
“We sold a lot of our stuff by orders when everything was shut down this spring, and we sold out everything,” Megan, the employee at the Hole-In-One tent said of keeping the ranch meat business going before COVID-19 regulations were eased.
Customer Donna Luchetti, a real estate agent, said she has been coming to this farmers market since it began. Alongside Luchetti, Jan Houston said she has been coming for about five years. “They have zucchini flowers, and it is the only place you can get zucchini flowers in Reno that we know of,” she said.
