The Thursday Market has been bringing fresh produce and local goods to the South Perry District for the last eight years. With their eyes on the future, the market has teamed up with Global Credit Union to initiate new programs to build and sustain the summer favorite.
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?It's just going to help us get organized a little bit better,? MaryAnne Delaney, Thursday Market Director of Marketing, says of the partnership with Global Credit Union. Global chose the market as one of their 2013 signature giving projects giving the market $10,000 to work on growth projects.
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Delaney and other market organizers submitted a proposal to Global that outlined their plans for desired programs. It took a long time for the market to reach out to the business community for sponsorship. Delaney explains they had been reluctant in the past because they wanted a very specific partner.
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?We wanted to make sure it would be a good fit for the market,? says Delaney. They wanted a group that was community minded and would be interested in hands-on involvement. Global fit the bill and new programs are already in place with others on the way soon.
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Last week, the market began it's new customer loyalty program. The punch card system rewards shoppers with a $5 market voucher once they make 10 market purchases. The Global money contributes $3 to the voucher, with the market and vendors each provide $1 to make up the total.
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?What we're trying to do is get people to think of the market as a place to shop,? says Delaney. The goal of the loyalty program is to get more people to do their general grocery shopping at the Thursday Market.
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Another program on the list that will launch this summer is Friends of the Market. For a $25 donation, friends will receive a Thursday Market shopping bag, magnet, bumper sticker and poster to show their support of the farmer's market. Delaney explains that funds generated will help the non-profit market pay for expenses. She adds that since they have a limited vendor space, it is important to bring in other forms of revenue.
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Global is already joining the market with community involvement. As part of the partnership, Global employees will be hosting a kid's activity tent three times this season. At today's market they were helping children make vegetable imprint paintings. Global will also be getting involved by delivering market food donations to the Refugee Harvest program.
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The funds are also helping the Thursday Market step up their social media presence and improve their website. It will enable them to have staff to handle those things so the market manager can focus on the day to day operations and vendor relations. Delaney says the money from Global also helped purchase some odds and ends that the market was in desperate need of.
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?I love the market,? says Delaney. The Thursday Market sees an average of 1,2000 customers a week, and with the ability to implement these new programs Delaney hopes the market will only grow in the coming years.
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The South Perry Thursday Market is every Thursday from 3pm-7pm in the parking lot of The Shop and Grant Elementary. The market will be featuring vendors through Halloween. ?You can follow the Thursday Market on Twitter @ThursdayMarket
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