Hey all,
I had the good fortune of meeting a fellow Market Manager from North Carolina this last week, and we compared stories, challenges, etc. It sounds like they have a great market, and deal with many of the same issues as we do. It was a good visit, and we swapped some ideas.
One of their most popular events each season is a Spring Plant Sale. They hold it towards the end of March / start of April, and it’s become a very popular (and profitable) regional event.
Due to our use agreement at the First Tennessee Pavilion (and an abundance of early Spring events there), we’ve never pursued this type of event – but we now have the Collegedale Market at the Commons, which would be an ideal place for this type of event.
Can I get a show of virtual hands as to how many of our agriculturally-inclined farms and providers would be interested in growing plants for this type of event? We could clearly partner with a nursery, if we had to, but it would be super nice if this could become a solid revenue stream for our farms and even artisan vendors.
To sell live plants (with a root system) in the State of Tennessee, you would need a live plant permit from TNDA.