MONTGOMERY, Ohio — When it opens on Saturday, the Montgomery Farmers’ Market will operate like one big drive-thru.
Instead of browsing vendor booths and mingling with friends, customers will stay in the car and place a piece of paper with their name and order on the dashboard.
That’s why most vendors are asking customers to pre-order their purchases by Thursday. No cash, checks or credit cards will be exchanged at the market; only pickups for pre-paid orders.
Stuart Zanger, Montgomery Farmers' Market board president, said he and his team have been planning for the opening for about a month.
Zanger said the end goal is to get fresh, locally-sourced food to the community, even though the model will be entirely different.
"A big part of a farmers’ market, especially ours, is the community … buy a cup of coffee, sit down, have a croissant. See your friends, hug your friends, hug the vendors, because there's relationships. That's not going to happen,” Zanger said.
Some of the market’s 30 vendors will take orders up until Saturday morning, but most of them want orders in by Thursday. Zanger said customers who miss the deadline should email the vendor directly from the market’s website.
The Montgomery Farmers’ Market will be open from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Montgomery Elementary School, 9609 Montgomery Road.
