Monday evening Ben DeClue, Market Master for the soon-to-launch Crystal City Farmers' Market, met with a small group of vendors at Grace Presbyterian Church.  He led a tour of the grounds, answered questions, and sought feedback.   Last year when DeClue visited his girlfriend's Chicago home, a thriving local farmer's market that has operated for 20 years inspired him.  The location reminded him of family's hometown church.  He hoped the sprawling park-like grounds at Bailey Road and Mississippi Avenue would make it an ideal place to establish a similar community marketplace.  Soon after returning home from his Chicago trip, DeClue learned that a farmer's market would open in De Soto.  Since then, he has taken Market Master training and worked closely with the De Soto Farmers' Market and Grace Presbyterian.  When the Crystal City Farmer's Market opens on May 19th, its policies will mirror those already in place in De Soto. 

     De Clue hopes the two markets will complement each other.  Operating the market Wednesday evenings from 4pm to 8pm, he believes will help vendors expand what they grow and give customers mid-week fresh, local produce options.  

     "The whole idea is not to compete with De Soto," DeClue said.

     Some of the vendors in attendance said that they had sold at the DeSoto Farmers' Market.  DeClue hopes vendors will take advantage of both markets.  What's fresh on Wednesday may be past its prime on Saturday, and vice-versa.

     Nick Stateler, who has been making cedar products since 1992 under company name "Wood Unlimited," likes the $10 vendor price point for the De Soto and Crystal City Farmers' Markets.  

     "Just because I look rich and act rich doesn't mean I am rich," he joked.

     Stateler said that he has sold at fairs and festivals as well, but that the cost to vendors cuts heavily into profits.  He makes everything from swings and baby Adirondack chairs to ornate, hand-painted totem poles.   Stateler said that lately it has become harder and harder to sell because would-be customers often opt for plastic outdoor furniture from Walmart.

     Bob Aucutt, Grace Presbyterian's Chair of Building and Grounds, agreed to resolve another of Stateler's challenges.  Stateler sells his heavy products from a 10-foot trailer, and unloading all of his items per market rules would take too much time and effort during the four-hour market sessions.  Aucutt said that they would make use of a gravel driveway for Stateler's trailer.  

     Aucutt meets the challenge of preserving the church's pristine landscaping while finding solutions for vendors like Stateler.  Half of the vendor fees will go to the church for grounds maintenance.

     "I'm a big proponent of this," Aucutt said.  "It has been a little struggle to get it off the ground."

     According to Aucutt, nearby Crystal City residents pay close attention to the church grounds.   Susan DeClue, Ben DeClue's mother and Grace Presbyterian's Clerk of Session, spoke about the church grounds as a prime destination for prom, engagement, and wedding pictures.  Aucutt said that once when the fountain pump quit working, it wasn't the church members who complained, but that the church's neighbors wanted to know what had happened to it.  

     The church grounds played a key role in Crystal City's history as well.

     "We have the only church with gun turrets in the US," Susan DeClue said.

     The turrets were built after a robbery of the wagon delivering Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. payroll to Crystal City Bank.  Susan DeClue's father worked as a guard in the turrets on Fridays during the 1950's, armed with a Thompson machine gun.  Today the turrets stand as a gateway into the picturesque grounds.

     Besides the inviting beauty of the grounds, Ben DeClue hopes to take advantage of heavy but slow-moving after work traffic along Bailey Road, the Crystal City side of the Twin Cities' Main Street.  (Note: Right after DeClue pointed out the 20 miles per hour speed limit, a police car raced by, at least twice that fast.  All other traffic crawled along at a lazy, after dinner pace.)  The market will locate vendor booths in two rows right next to the sidewalk, with a path in between.  The church basement will be open for restroom access during market hours.

     Laurie Portell, a Crystal City resident, noted that the area is great for foot traffic as well.  Portell is considering selling homemade dog treats at the market.

     "Everybody loves their dogs," she said.

     Ben DeClue said that his biggest challenge is attracting vendors, and he hopes that they will take a chance on the Crystal City Farmers' Market, like the many who have made the De Soto Farmers' Market successful.  He has been actively promoting the project, gaining media attention and using social networking.  The market's Facebook page has more than 200 fans already, and he offers information for vendors and customers online at http://crystalcityfarmersmarket.blogspot.com.  The market will run Wednesday evenings from May 19th through October 20th.