Passage
For a few years the Saturday farmers’ market in the square had nearly emptied out. Only two or three stands remained, and shoppers drifted away. This spring a group of neighbors set out to bring it back. The market’s new manager1 a former grocer who knew every farm in the county called the old vendors one by one.
The change came quickly. There 2 is more than a dozen stands in the square now, from a baker to a beekeeper. The row of striped tents 3 stretch the length of the block. Each vendor sets up at dawn, arranges the crates, and 4 greeting the first shoppers by name.
The square is now the 5 busier of the three markets in town. The 6 vendors tables fill with the season’s produce by eight o’clock. Shoppers come early for the best pick, and the crates empty fast. 7
A market depends 8 of more than good produce. Each stand keeps 9 their own steady customers, who return week after week. The manager makes sure the aisles stay wide and clean. A friendly face at the scale, she says, is worth as much as a low price.
The market kept its aisles wide and its prices fair. 10 However, the farmers who had once been cautious signed on again. The market 11 has struggled for years before the neighbors stepped in. The manager keeps the fees low12 and the vendors pass the savings along.
On a bright Saturday the square hums with music and talk. Children weave between the tents, and shoppers 13 stand near the stalls. 14 What had shrunk to a handful of stands has grown back into the heart of the weekend. 15
