New Canaan Farmers Market To Introduce New Winter Pickup Program

NEW CANAAN, CT — The New Canaan Farmer's Market will return to the Lumber Yard Lot and kick off its 2023 season in April.

The Board of Selectman approved the market's use of the lot, located near the train station at 244 Elm Street, during their meeting Tuesday.

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan noted the summer farmers market will run on Saturdays from April until just before Thanksgiving.

"The farmers and the vendors are excited to get back to the market," Farmers Market Manager Alexis Gazy said during the meeting. "We'll be starting in just 61 days, so it's coming along fast."

When asked by Moynihan if the farmers market team and vendors were happy with their recent move to the Lumber Yard Lot, Gazy said they had happily settled into the spot.

"People are finding us more at the railroad station," Gazy said. "They're actually hopping off the train to buy from us, so that is wonderful."

Gazy said the market planned to expand its operations through the winter season this year by setting up a new program that will allow vendors to drop off items ordered online by customers at the market site for pickup beginning at 10 a.m.

The program would essentially fill in the gap from December through March when the farmers market is not open, allowing customers to buy items from vendors during the winter.

"It's kind of a happy medium between having a weekend farmer's market and not having anything at all," Gazy said. "The extra income in the winter will be good for the vendors."

According to Gazy, the vendors would not set up shop during the winter months, just meet their customers for pre-order pickups.

"Other farmer's markets have year-round availability," Gazy said, "so this was kind of a happy medium between an actual winter market where they would have to set up and worry about customers coming and not coming and product availability."

When asked by Selectman Kathleen Corbet how customers would order items, Gazy said there would be a weekly email list with links to the vendors' online stores, through which customers would order directly from the vendor. She also noted pickups would be weather-dependent.

Prior to a 3-0 vote of approval from the board, Moynihan noted the off-season pickup would run from Nov. 25, 2023, to March 23, 2024.