La Grange Park Farmers Market Closes Early: Will It Return Next Year?

And then, there was one.

On the final day of the 2012 season, only a single farmer was left tending his booth in the parking lot of at the corner of La Grange Road and 31st Street.

"When you do your article, black out the 'S' on that sign," said Jeff Jaeger, the lone purveyor at the market while pointing to a sign at the entrance of the lot. "It's a farmer market today."

The West Suburban Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WSCCI), which runs the market, announced the next day it would be closing early for the season due to a lack of farmers and a lack of customers. Steve Erickson, executive director of the WSCCI, said he attributes the failure of the La Grange Park market this year to a poor location.

The single sign displaying the market's presence cannot be seen from La Grange Road, and drivers on 31st Street could be forgiven for missing the market even if they passed by it. The market's location also made it difficult for customers to arrive on foot, and its proximity to the busy intersection made it tough to turn into the lot unless you were driving west on 31st Street.

"Absolutely we've had a problem with this site," Erickson said. "We're trying to come up with a better selection of a site next year."

Farmers Have Had Enough

The market began its 2012 season with five vendors. But as the crowds quickly waned, so did the farmers, dwindling more and more each week. The WSCCI press release announcing the market's early close highlighted the chicken vs. egg scenario this created. It ran with the headline: "No Farmers, No Customers. No Customers. No Market."

Jaeger said it costs him about $40 to make the drive from his blueberry farm in Coloma, MI, to La Grange Park. In addition, Jaeger paid $375 to put his booth up in La Grange Park for the season. He paid $155 for the season in Naperville at a market that can actually pull in a crowd, he said.

"Everyone says the same thing: It's a lousy location," Jaeger said. "They can't even see me from the road. It's just not worth it."

The week before last, Jaeger said he made only about $3 selling blueberries at the market. He said he came for one last week to help out the WSCCI.

But just a single vendor selling blueberries does not a farmers market make.

"You need variety for a good market," Jaeger said. "You need someone selling bread and someone selling honey, so people can come and buy all their produce."

La Grange Park Lacks Locations

At this point, the farmers market is still scheduled to continue in La Grange Park next year, but where it will end up going is anyone's guess. Erickson said the chamber is working with landlords in the area, but so far they haven't received much interest and are having a difficult time even finding suitable locations.

"A market like this needs walk-in traffic, and that was hard at this location," Erickson said. "The location is the biggest thing for the success of the market."

Last year, La Grange Park's farmers market was held at the Village Market on La Grange Road for half the season. Midway through it moved to Mattone's parking lot after the company that owns the Village Market property declined to continue to host it.

"We never got a clear answer to why," Erickson said. "But for whatever reason, they declined to host it again this year."

The move to Mattone's hurt traffic to the market in the second half of last year's season. Despite a promising start at the location this year, it again failed to catch on.

Coming up with a new location in La Grange Park is no easy task. The village doesn't have a traditional downtown shopping district and has few lots big enough to host vendors and provide parking.

Julia Cedillo, village manager of La Grange Park, said that she believes residents want a local farmers market and attributes the lack of support this year to the market's location and a summer of strange weather.

"There are probably many reasons that the farmers market closed this year," Cedillo said.

And yet, other area farmers markets have stayed open, attracted customers and survived a volatile growing season.

Cedillo said that as of now, the village has only had preliminary discussions with WSCCI about possible locations for the market in 2013. Those conversations, he said, will continue. 

Promises of a new location and better promotion might not be enough to lure back farmers and create a robust market next year, if Jeff Jaeger's sentiments are any indication.

Jaeger said he thought he'd skip La Grange Park next year and try out a new location—somewhere that can draw a crowd.

This article is part one in our series exploring economic development in La Grange Park. To stay updated on future stories, click the "Keep Me Updated" button below the article. If you have a story you'd like us to look into, tell us in comments, or send a note to the editor.

Would you like to see the farmers market return to La Grange Park next year? Tell us why or why not, and suggest possible locations for the market in comments below.