Beacon Farmers Market Experience With A Looming Recession
On the cold but sunny Sunday, February 19th, an event that ran year-round happened in the parking lot of the Beacon New York DMV. The Beacon Farmers Market has become stable for the Beacon community to connect with local farms and small businesses. Beacon and Hudson Valley residents came to help support their local small businesses.
Right at the center of Beacon’s Main Street, the Beacon Farmers Market was alive, selling fresh fruits and vegetables picked at the peak of ripeness, garden flowers perfect for every occasion, food dishes to satisfy anybody’s cravings, etc.
With over 70 vendors, the Beacon Farmers Market prides itself on bringing new and fresh businesses to the Beacon community year-round. According to the Beacon Farmers Market website, the market prides itself on community, local farms, and businesses and on creating a more just food system. The market allows all different walks of life to be welcomed to experience new businesses and products while allowing vendors to seek new opportunities and create one on one connections. For most vendors, the farmers market is more than just a place to sell to customers; it is the way to become more financially stable during economic turmoil.
Many Americans have felt the effects of inflation and a possible looming recession over the past months. As prices of groceries, clothes, and almost all goods and services have increased, so has the financial stress for many. The financial strain affects consumers and many of the owners who run small businesses. The stress of running a business and relying on the said business to keep one afloat is a challenging dilemma when dealing with the repercussions of a looming recession.
One small vendor at the Beacon Farmers Market looking to connect with her community and try to make the best of her financial situation is Julie Skodka of Trés Bon Macaron.
“During this type of hovering recession, it was game on, you could do really well, or you could do really poorly,” Skodka explained. “There was no way to kind of tell, which as you know, for a lot of people, this is how you know, pay your mortgage, or pay your rent or your bill or something.”
Skodka started her own business as more of a hobby or side hustle. She jokes that she started because her dog is constantly destroying his toys, so she needed money to buy new ones. Even though Skodka doesn’t have to rely on the business to make ends meet, she still feels the effects of inflation and understands the hardships of being a small business owner during these times.
Like everyone, many produce prices have increased recently due to the economic climate in recent months. “Eggs quadrupled, and eggs are my standard, what I need for my business to survive,” Skodka explains.
With prices going up left and right, one would think that Skodka would have to raise the cost of her macarons to balance how much it costs to make them. But she understands what it is like as a consumer as well.
“Being on the other side of the table where it’s like, alright, it’s a great product, but can I spend x amount of dollars, right? When you’re being asked to consider gas prices, grocery prices, and things like that.”
Understanding and adjusting to the flow of the economic climate are just some of the few hardships many vendors at the Beacon Farmers Market experience. Nevertheless, small business owners and farmers strive to provide the Beacon and Hudson Valley community with fresh and affordable products so everyone can experience what the town of Beacon offers.
