By Jaimie Julia Winters
With summer approaching, the future of Kearny’s Farmers Market remains uncertain as organizers work to secure a new location and produce vendor after Alstede Farms withdrew from the market earlier this year.
Rumors have circulated on social media for weeks suggesting the longtime community staple had been canceled altogether. But Joshua Humphrey, library director, who runs the market, said no final decision has been made.
“Our main message now is to stay tuned,” Humphrey said. “The market has not been officially canceled yet. We are still working on securing a new produce vendor and selecting a new location that would be more accessible to people.”
The market began in 2006 in the former Mandee parking lot on Kearny Avenue before relocating about 12 years ago to the area behind the main library on Garfield Avenue. Over the years, it featured a rotating lineup of local vendors, including New Jersey Beer Company, Brothers Bakery, Another Mother Fermentorium, Intrinsic Bakery, and Charlie’s Nursery.
But Humphrey said vendor participation has become increasingly difficult to secure.
“Unfortunately, we were finding it harder and harder to get committed vendors, leaving us with just Alstede Farms last year,” he said. “Earlier in the year, Alstede dropped out, citing poor business as their main reason. It has always been a huge challenge finding vendors to commit to our market.”
But Mayor Carol Jean Doyle said the town and library now have an opportunity to revitalize the market and are exploring ways to do that.
“Due to a decline in foot traffic and vendors over recent seasons, the library is currently restructuring the Farmers Market,” Doyle said. “Josh is actively working to secure a fresh lineup of vendors and is exploring a move to Memorial Park to revitalize the market and better serve the community.”
Humphrey said increased competition from farmers’ markets in neighboring towns has also made scheduling and vendor recruitment more challenging.
“Now that markets have sprung up in many towns across the state, there is a lot of competition in finding a good day and time schedule,” he said.
The market was always intended to spotlight local businesses, but many small shops struggled to participate consistently.
“Most of them do not have the staffing to pull off running another location during business hours,” Humphrey said, noting that some local businesses participated only intermittently.
While organizers appreciated the support provided at the library location — including assistance from library staff with setup and breakdown, as well as outdoor music and entertainment — the site presented challenges.
“Logistically there were no issues with the location by the library,” Humphrey said. “But the site didn’t get the foot traffic needed to sustain vendors, and parking has always been an issue.”
Organizers are now considering a more central location in town in hopes of drawing larger crowds and rebuilding the market’s vendor base.
“We are now trying to explore something more central to the town,” Humphrey said. “If we can manage to move forward with a new produce vendor this year, we would definitely look to expand the market and bring in more local vendors in the future.”
The uncertainty surrounding the market also comes as New Jersey farmers continue to recover from severe crop losses caused by an April freeze.
On May 20, Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a State of Emergency after prolonged freezing temperatures between April 19 and April 22 caused widespread agricultural damage across the state. According to assessments by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and Farm Service Agency County Committees, many farms experienced crop losses exceeding 30 percent, with some growers expecting complete losses for certain crops.
Tree fruits and berries were among the hardest hit, including peaches, apples, cherries, grapes, plums, and blueberries. The losses are expected to reduce the availability of local produce at farmers’ markets and increase prices for imported fruits at grocery stores.
“The April freeze caused serious damage to our growers, and those losses demand decisive action,” Sherrill said.
