Interest in farmer's markets is growing along the Main Line

When he drives up and down Lancaster Avenue, Steve Bajus sees banks and drugstores, restaurants and retail shops, gas stations, and car dealers.

What he doesn't see is fresh food.

"There's a void," said Bajus, who owns commercial properties all along the Main Line.

So he got the idea to put a farmer's market in the space that used to be Borders Books in the Rosemont Square shopping center until it went out of business last year.

"They did a great job there. . . . It's unfortunate," he said of the company's collapse. "I made that deal with Tom and Lou Borders way back."

This won't be the first time Bajus has dabbled in fruits and vegetables. In 1981, he opened a farmer's market in Chestnut Hill, and "it did very well," he said.

Today, farmer's markets are doing well all over the Philadelphia region, particularly in affluent areas like the Main Line, said Bob Pierson, who owns Farm to City, which runs 17 outdoor markets in the region, including one in a parking lot in Bryn Mawr.

Demand for new markets peaked about two years ago, he said, but there is still lots of potential in higher-income suburban communities, whose residents flock to high-quality produce like ants to honey.

Along Lancaster Avenue, where almost every town had a small neighborhood Acme at one time, supermarkets and groceries are now scarcer than economy cars. Two Acmes and two gourmet markets closed recently. The only supermarket between Wayne and Ardmore is Genuardi's in St. Davids, though a new "flagship" Acme is expected to open soon in Bryn Mawr.

Bajus said he was looking for 25 to 30 vendors, with most open just three days a week, Thursday to Saturday, though some speciality stores will operate six days. The front of the building will be remodeled and some businesses will have separate entrances.

He has already scouted vendors at local markets, including Reading Terminal, the Lancaster County Farmer's Market in Wayne, and the Ardmore Farmers Market at Suburban Square, to gauge interest in his spot. The Ardmore market is a model for what he'd like to do, he said, with high-quality produce and meats, and speciality stores like DiBruno Bros.

For small businesses, farmer's markets can be a testing ground to see whether they have a viable concept without committing the resources needed to open a traditional store.

John Doyle knows firsthand.

Doyle started the artisan chocolatier John & Kira's with his wife 10 years ago, selling his confections at about a dozen markets to boost business.

"It's how we built our brand in Philadelphia," said the former New York investment banker, whose chocolates were once featured on the cover of Gourmet magazine. "It's made a dramatic impact on our sales."

His customers like meeting owners and producers and getting to know about the product in a more personal setting.

"It's a little bit more of a grassroots way of selling, and we find it to be more fun and interactive," he said.

It's also cheaper than running a store.

"It's like a traveling circus in the sense that we set up and take down, but I happen to like things like that," Doyle said.

But getting into a market can be tough.

Pierson said 60 percent to 75 percent of his vendors were primarily providers of things like produce, meats, maple syrup. Once they are established, he brings in a baker, flower seller, or candy maker.

"There are lots of people who approach us with interest to get into the markets and we don't have room for them," said Farm to City's program manager, Matt Weiss. "Farmers, bakers, lots of prepared-food folks would like to get into the markets.

"These are very small businesses, and I think it's a good way to get a foothold into the market. It's certainly cheaper than finding a rental property in Center City or the Main Line."

Farm to City charges vendors about $35 per week.

Indoor markets can be much pricier. Luke Truong, owner of Sushi Sei in the Ardmore Farmers Market, said he pays more than he would in a stand-alone building, but prefers the market because customers spend more.

"This is more upscale, absolutely high quality," said Truong, who managed 26 sushi stands for Whole Foods before starting his Sushi Sei three years ago.

Business is so good, he said, he would like to open a second store at another location and was excited to hear about the new market in Rosemont Square.

Bajus said his rents would be based on stand width.

Though the farmer's market in Bryn Mawr will open in May for the season, Bajus doesn't anticipate opening his until fall.

"We're working as fast as we possibly can," he said. "If we can get it together, we feel we can get it open in September."