Hampton Farmers' Market Canceled for 2012

For the first time in over 20 years, Hampton will be without its own weekly market to promote and showcase locally-grown produce and goods.

The Seacoast Growers Association has decided this year not to run the Hampton Farmers' Market — which would've opened Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot — thanks to declining community support and participation by vendors.

Market Manager Greg Balog said he knows support is still there for the once-popular market, although he said the last three years have just been too difficult ever since Lafayette Road construction compounded the many issues with which they were already fighting at the "challenging" location.

"We've done so poorly the last few years that it didn’t make sense to go back there again," said Balog, who is also the co-owner of Heron Pond Farm in South Hampton. "It didn’t feel like it would be feasible this year, but we would like to find a new location for the market in 2013 that would be more accessible and keep people coming."

Balog said in 2011 the market "didn't have any more than five vendors there" at any given time. That's less than half of the traditional turnout, as he said the Hampton market used to have at least a dozen vendors and a steady stream of customers on Tuesday afternoons, despite the traffic problems and the non-existent shade in the church's parking lot.

Balog said the church has been very accomodating over the years and said they have nothing to do with the decision to shut down the market through 2012. He also said competition and oversaturation due to some of SGA's other, larger markets in Exeter and Portsmouth weren't factors, as he said Hampton was "very solid" five years ago before Exeter's market started to boom into the 30+ vendor showcase it has become.

Rusty Bridle, a member of Experience Hampton Inc. and an active volunteer in the community, said he was "sad to see the market go" because he said he "used to use it quite often" to support local farmers and merchants.

Bridle said Experience Hampton is about promoting what's going on in Hampton, which is why he and his board want to help SGA find a suitable location — possibly the ,  or  — so the market can reopen in 2013.

"I think it's a terrible loss for the town," said Bridle. "I'm sure we can look at it and work at it. There are plenty of places we can get for it.

"As with anything we should encourage business in this town, and it’s sad to see when we lose something like this. If we can get them back, I think it’s going to take some community involvement, and the town should publicly support them."

Due to the start of the planting season, Balog said there hasn't been enough time to start a campaign to find or advertise a new location. He said, though, that the SGA is looking for the public's input in finding a new home for the Hampton market.

He said anyone with suggestions about a new location or suggestions about how the reincarnation of the farmers' market could be more successful should contact info@seacoastgrowers.org.

Balog said he wants the market to "make a big splash" in 2013, and to do that he said he wants to work directly with residents to find a location "that meets the needs of the most people possible."

"It seems like not having a market in Hampton or somewhere in that immediate vicinity is leaving a hole there," said Balog, who added that he doesn't think there will be a problem drawing residents back once the "hole" is filled. "We really would love to have input from the local community and we really would like to be there. I regret that it just wasn’t feasible this year.

"I'd appreciate any input folks can give us."

More information about the Seacoast Growers Association is available on their official website.