A community is nothing without a heart. In Livingston County, many of our villages and towns have their unique communities. As a county, we felt there was a central heart missing from our land. The idea for a public market arose out of the need for a county-wide meeting and gathering place for everyone in the county. With this physical space created, locals of Livingston County would have a place to meet, eat, enjoy, and buy. Now in the planning stages, the Livingston County Public Market will be a destination where people gather to experience quality food, goods, and services from local businesses and act as a platform for farmers, artisans, and public service organizations. 

Our vision for this market will be a year-round public market that is developed with the guidance and feedback of our office, grant applications, the offices of Planning and Workforce Development, and the Board of Supervisors. The mission of this project is to provide a vibrant attraction for Livingston County locals and visitors, stimulate business opportunities for farmers and food entrepreneurs, enhance the local food system, including existing farmers’ markets, and contribute to the overall community wellness in our county. 

The market will be a community-based economic development launch pad for startup and early-stage food-related business development, providing workforce training focused on building a stronger local economy. We envision the Public Market being a cherished community gathering space with food, art, local farm products, and a range of activities that will bring the region together. 

At its birth, Livingston County received a grant to conduct a Feasibility Study for a potential public market to be located within the County. The study was conducted by a specialty planning and economic development firm, Market Ventures, Inc. Market Ventures Inc. assists public, non-profit, and for-profit clients with planning, creating, and managing innovative food-based projects and programs. They have particular expertise in public markets and farmers’ markets, where they blend cutting-edge business practices with a thorough understanding of and appreciation for the unique challenges facing local farmers and small businesses. The first phase was a Feasibility Study survey of residents and visitors of Livingston County to gather information from the general public on their thoughts and ideas about a local public market.

At its conclusion, highlights of the study concluded that a year-round market could be feasible for Livingston County if created correctly and with anchor support of supplemental attractions and offerings. It was noted that a figure of 4,500 square feet was cited as doable with approximately $3.1 MM in demand in the market’s commerce radius. Consequently, direct marketing by small farms in the area is slated to increase 30% by 2022 and 24 vendors responded to the vendor solicitation survey piece of the study which included a variety of potential market vendor occupants, the majority of which have been in business for more than five years.  More than 1,300 respondents participated in the community survey. Overall, the study reinforced that anchor tenants like brewpubs or restaurants and community assets such as trails are vitally important to the market’s sustainability.