Lavonia Farmer’s Market to Get an Upgrade

The City of Lavonia Main Street and Downtown Development Authority are making plans to upgrade the downtown Farmers Market.

“Franklin County is an Ag-based community but unfortunately we don’t have a Franklin County Farmers Market, noted Main Street Director Ashley Rose Dodd. “So the City of Lavonia, the DDA, and the Main Street Program have decided to take on a revitalization of the Lavonia Farmers Market. It’s going to be called The Lavonia Depot Farmers Market because guess what? We’re going to move the Farmers Market.”

For years, the current Farmers Market has been located on E. Main St. Downtown but Dodd said that location has presented some problems when other events are taking place there.

“Typically, they (vendors) were found in downtown Lavonia. Unfortunately, when we have downtown festivals or events where we had to close the street we always had to move them over to the Depot,” Dodd explained. “So we took some time, we looked around the City to see where we could put them at a permanent structure. So, the goal is that we’re going to build pavilions behind where the Depot is located at 1269 E. Main St. That way, they don’t have to bring tents, it’s a permanent structure, vendors just have to bring their own tables and set up or even drive to one of the locations because certain parts of it will be for vendors to drive to.”

Probably one of the biggest changes will be a requirement that all vendors are selling their wares legally.

According to Dodd, the point of a Farmers Market is to connect consumers with locally grown foods and homemade products.

She said all vendors interested in selling at the Farmers Market must meet certain requirements passed in 2020 by the Georgia State Legislature.

“So if you want to be a potential vendor, you have to fill out a Lavonia Depot Farmers Market application. It is $25. You do have to have mandatory training that is available at the Depot. So you would contact the Lavonia DDA to set up a time. You can also give us a call 706-356-5725 and we can set that up for you,” Dodd said.

Additionally, she said there are state licensing requirements for the sale of certain goods and products.

“If you are selling products that require Georgia State licensing or federal regulations such as meats or cheese those fall under USDA. If you’re selling cottage food products such as eggs you have to provide those licenses. They’re not very hard. For example, if you’re selling eggs you have to have an egg candling license. That license is free from the State of Georgia Agriculture. You just have to go through training. You just have to provide it and you have to have a certificate and it must be valid. We do check because we have to submit those things to the State as well,” Dodd explained.

Please note that you MUST follow all Georgia operating policies and State statutes. Some of the items sold at Georgia Farmers Market require special licenses including, but not limited to:

Live Plant License – required if you grow on a plot over 1000 square feet.

Egg Candling License – required to sell eggs along with proper labeling and refrigeration less than 45 degrees.

Cottage Food License – required to sell any baked or processed foods.

*Locally grown fruits and vegetables do not require a license.

If you are interested in becoming a vendor, contact the Lavonia Downtown Development Authority to fill out an application. The Lavonia Depot Farmers Market is open April to October from 7:00 AM to 11 PM. The application must be turned in with the appropriate certificates or licensing necessary to sell your product.

Dodd emphasizes that vendors MUST follow all Georgia operating policies and State statutes.

Lavonia DDA & Mainstreet Contact Information:

Barbara Busby: [email protected] 706-356-1926

Ashley Rose Dodd: [email protected] 706-356-5725

www.lavoniadowntown.com/farmers-market

You can hear the complete interview with Dodd coming up this Sunday on Community Forum at 12:03p.

 

 

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