865-483-9124
102DeerfieldLane
OakRidge,TN37830
2016-2017VendorHandbook
GrowOakRidge,LLC
TheseguidelinesapplytoallvendorsataGrowOakRidgemarket.Allvendorsand
staffareexpectedtofollowthishandbooksothateveryonehasasafeandsuccessful
marketexperience.Ifyouhavequestions,pleasecontactMarketDirectorRebecca
Williams,865-483-9124,[email protected].
Mission:
TheMissionofGrowOakRidgeistobeacatalystforcommunityhealth,an
incubatorforlocalbusinesses,andanadvocateforthelocalfoodsystem.GrowOak
RidgecurrentlyproducestheWinterFarmers’MarketinOakRidge.Visitour
website,www.GrowOakRidge.org.
WinterFarmers’Market(11Saturdays):
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December2016throughFebruary2017(closedDec.24&31).
Hours:10a.m.to1p.m.Saturdays
Location:intheGymatSt.Mary’sSchool,323VermontAve.,OakRidge,TN,
37830.
VendorEligibility
1. Allvendorsmustapplyeachyear.
2. Applicationdoesnotguaranteeacceptance.
3. Allacceptedvendorsmustpayrequiredfeesinadvanceofselling(see
below).
FeePayment:
Registrationfeesaredueattimeofacceptance(onlyafteryouapplyandare
accepted).WeeklyboothfeesaredueONEWEEKinadvancebeforeselling.No
refundsforboothfeesaregiven(seepage7).2016-17feesareasfollowsforthe
wintermarket:$20registrationonorbeforeOct.1.$40registrationafterOct.1.
Weeklyboothfeesare$10foragriculturalvendors;$15forartisancraftvendors;
$20forpreparedfoodvendors.Eachspaceis10x10.Ifyouwantanextraspace,they
are$5eachperweek.
LeavingEarly
VendorsmayNOTleavebeforetheendofthemarket,withoutexpresspermissionof
themanager.Ifyouhavesoldoutofproduct,puta“soldout”signup,andvisitour
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foodtruck,orvolunteerwiththemarketmanager.Ifyouareconcernedyouwillnot
haveenoughproductfor3hours,considerdoingaVendorCooperative(seepage3).
Weespeciallyencouragesmallgrowerstodothis,butartisansmaydoitaswell
withpermissionfromthemanager.
AssignedSpaces
Eachvendorwillbeassignedaspace,whichwillbeconsistentifpossibleweekto
week,althoughchangesmaybenecessary.Pleasecheckineachweekwiththe
managertofindyourspace.Ifyouhaveaproblemwithyourassignedspace,please
expressthattothemarketmanagerinwriting.
Packaging
1. Allcontainersofproducemustbeplacedatleast6inchesoffthegroundfor
theentiremarket.Thisincludesbasketsandcoolers.
2. Preparedfoodsmustbelabeledwithyourname,address,andingredientlist,
accordingtotheTNFarmersMarketComplianceGuide.
3. GrowOakRidgerecommendsvendorsuserecyclablecontainersfor
packaging.
4. Ifyousellbyweight,youmustuseanNTEPapprovedscale.
Pricingofgoods
1. Vendorsmustclearlypostthepricesoftheirproductstheentiremarket.
2. Pricingofgoodssoldiftheresponsibilityofthevendor.Pricefixingbetween
vendorsordishonestmerchandisingisgroundsfordismissalfromthe
market.
3. Allvendorsarerequiredtoparticipateinourmarket-wideMarket
Moneytokensystem(seepage6).
CommunitySupportedAgriculture(CSA)
GrowOakRidgesupportsCSAprogramsthroughoutthemarket.Thereisnoextra
feeforbringingyourCSAdeliverytomarket.YoumayadvertiseyourCSAfullyata
GrowOakRidgemarket.TheWinterMarketwillhave“CSADays”inFebruaryto
encouragecustomerstosignupforsummerprograms.
GeneralProductGuidelines:
Thisisaproduceronly,locallymademarket.Youmust“makeit,bakeit,orgrowit”
within150milesofthemarket,tosellproductsataGrowOakRidgemarket.The
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markethaszerotoleranceconcerningresale.Anyvendorfoundsellingaproducehe
orshedidnotmake,bakeorgrowwillbedismissedfromthemarket.
Inspections:
Vendorsshouldexpectmarketmanagementtoverifythattheyareproducersduring
theseason,eitherthroughadeskauditoron-sitevisit,andapplyingtoaGrowOak
Ridgemarketmeansthevendorhasconsentedtothisprocess.Wedoallowsmall
farmcooperatives(neighborsjoiningtogethertosell).Seebelow.
Acceptedproducts:(notanexhaustivelist)
1. Agriculturalproductsthataregrownbythevendor,thevendor’sfamilyor
employees,withina150-mileradiusofOakRidge,TN.Allvendorsshould
followthelabeling,handlingandpermittingstandardsfortheirproductsas
listedintheTNDept.ofAgriculture’sFarmersMarketStateCompliance
Guide.
2. Agriculturalcooperativeproducts-Productsbroughttomarketin
collaborativeeffortsbetweenfarmsareallowed,aslongasbothfarmsapply
separatelytothemarket,andexplaintheywillbesellingtogether.Both
farmsmustbewithin150milesofOakRidge,andgrowwhattheysell.
Cooperativearrangementsmustbecommunicatedtothecustomersclearly
throughsignage(ex:“Thisismyneighbor’sXYZFarm’scorn.”)
3. Artisanfoodproducts.Breadandpastries,jams,jellies,vinegars,etc.We
followtheTNFarmersMarketComplianceGuideforallrequiredcertificates
andsignage.The“homekitchenexemption”isallowed,butyouMUSTmake
sureyouarefollowingtherulesdescribedintheguide,andhaveappropriate
signage.Anyproductshowntohavebeenmadeinunsanitarycircumstances
(forexample,animalhairinit),willNOTbeallowedatmarket,andthe
vendormaybesuspendedfromthemarket.
4. ArtisanCraftProducts-Itemsthatyoumakebyhand.Weareespecially
lookingforwoodwork,pottery,naturalfiberarts,originalpaintingsand
drawings,soapsandoilsmadefromnaturalmaterials.Nokitsorplastic.
Clothingmustbemadebyhand.Tie-dyet-shirtsareallowediftheyare
significantlyartisticandunique.Jewelryitemsmusthavethemain
componentofit,whetherbeadorsomeotherornament,madebyhand
locally.Inotherwords,wedonotacceptamanufacturedbeadstrungona
manufacturedstring.
5. Preparedfoodproductsthataremadeinacommercialfoodtruck,cartor
kitchenandmeantforconsumptiononsite.Youmusthaveanddisplaya
currenthealthdepartmentcertificateforAndersonCounty,TN.Pleasenoteif
youareservingafruitorvegetablethatisinseasonandavailablefromoneof
ourvendors,youMUSTpurchaseitfromthem.Thiswouldincludeinthe
summerfoodsliketomatoes,lettuce,cucumber,watermelon,etc.Inthe
winter,itwouldbesquash,greens,onions,mushrooms,etc.Drinkvendors,
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youmustnotservedcanneddrinksorbottledwaters.Theymustbemade
fromscratch.
6. Farmers/Crafters–Somefarmersarealsocrafters,andyouarewelcometo
bringcraftsthatfitinwithItem4,above.However,ifyoubringmorethan50
percent(invalueofyourboothitems)ascrafts,wewillconsideryoua
crafterforfeepurposes.
Unacceptedproducts:(notanexhaustivelist)
1. Anyitemthatisboughtwithintentiontoberesoldasis.
2. Crafts–Nokits,molds,orplastic.Nojewelrypartsmanufacturedina
factorybutassembledbyyou.
3. Noantiquesorsecondhanditems,unlesstheyaresubstantiallychanged
informorfunction.Forexample,anantiquewindowisnotpermitted.But
ifyoupaintapictureonthewindow,thatwouldbeartwork,andis
permitted.Specialantiquedaysmaybeannouncedbythemarket
manager,inwhichcaseunchangedantiqueswouldbepermittedonlyon
thosedays.
4. Noliveanimals.
5. Nomaterialsfromanendangeredanimalorillegalproducts.
6. Nocarnival-likefoodssuchascottoncandy,potentiallydangerousfoods,
alcoholandtobaccoproducts,energydrinks,bottledwater,cannedsodas
andfruitdrinksoranyotherpurchasedbeverage.Foodshouldbemade
fromscratch.
7. FoodtrucksandcaterersMUSTcommittoservingagriculturalproducts
purchasedfromthemarketwhiletheyareinseason.
8. Nofranchisedbusinessesorbusinessproductswillbesoldexceptwithin
sponsorshipguidelines(seepage7).Thiswouldincludecosmeticlines,
soapsandlotions.
9. Businesseswhowanttopromotetheirbusinessmaycontactthe
manager.SeeSponsorshipsection,page7.
SalesTaxes:
Vendorsareresponsibleforpayingtheirownsalestaxifapplicable.Pleaseconsult
theTNCenterforProfitableAgricultureandTennesseeTaxwebsite.SOME
FARMERSMUSTPAYSALESTAX,DEPENDINGONWHATTHEYSELL.Craftandfood
vendorswillusuallyneedtopaysalestax,exceptincertaincircumstances.Please
consulttheTennesseeTaxCode.GrowOakRidge,LLC,isnotresponsibleforyour
salestax.
Applyingtothemarket:
1. Applytothemarketviaourwebsite,www.growoakridge.org.Weusea
systemcalledwww.ManageMyMarket.org.Youwillcreateafreeprofile,then
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applytoourmarket.Youwillneedtochecktheboxsayingthatyouhaveread
thisvendorhandbook.
a. Youwillreceiveanautomaticreplysayingwereceivedyour
application.
b. Don’tforgettouploadallthenecessarydocuments,includingany
certificatesandpermitsyouhold.Applicationswithoutsupporting
documentswillnotbeconsideredcomplete,norwilltheybe
reviewed.
2. Pleaseallow2weeksforustoreviewandprocessyourcomplete
applications.Ifyouhaven’theardfromus,pleasecontactRebeccaWilliams,
[email protected].
3. Yourapplicationwillbeaccepted,waitlistedordeclined.
a. Acceptedapplicantswillreceiveawelcomeletterandmustpaytheir
annualregistrationfee.SendittoGrowOakRidge,102DeerfieldLane,
OakRidge,TN37830.FirstweeklyfeeisdueNov.26fortheDec.3
market.Youmaypayformorethanoneweekatatime.
b. Waitlistedvendorswillbesentaletterexplaininghowthewaitlist
works.Ifyouwishtobewithdrawn,pleaseletusknowbyemail.
c. Declinedvendorswillreceivealetterstatingwhytheyweredeclined.
Ifyoudisagreewiththisdecisionyoumaycontactthemarket
managerinwritingexplainingwhyyourboothshouldbe
reconsidered.
d. GrowOakRidgebelievescustomersshoulddecidewhatproductsare
mostdesirableatamarketanddoesnotexcludeavendorsimply
becauseheorshesellsthesamethingasanother.However,GrowOak
Ridgedoestrytoprovideproductdiversity.Ifthereislimitedspaceat
amarket,vendorswithnewandunusualproductswillbegiven
priorityoverthosewhoaresellingproductsotherwisefoundinthe
market.
Prioritiesforselection:
1. Ourfirstpriorityistohaveawiderangeoflocallygrownandproducer-only
agriculturalproducts.Thosevendorswillbeadmittedfirst.
2. Oursecondpriorityistofarmerswhouseenvironmentallysustainable
productionmethodsandhumanetreatmentofanimals.
3. Forartsandcraftsvendors,firstpriorityisgiventothosewhousenatural
materialssuchaswool,clay,woodandiron.
4. Welookforcraftvendorswithconsistentlyhighqualityanduniqueproducts,
andcleanandattractivedisplays.
5. Preparedfoodvendorshavepriorityiftheyservehealthy,non-junkfood,
madefromrealingredientsandshowcasinglocalproducewheninseason.
6. Vendorswhoareknowntobeprofessional,polite,andobeyallstateand
localregulationsfortheirproductswillhavepriority.Vendorswhouse
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profanity,arerudetomarketstafforcustomers,orthosewhobadgerother
vendorsabouttheirproducts,pricesoranythingelse,willnotbepermitted
ataGrowOakRidgemarket.Weexpectvendorstocooperatewithmarket
management,providecourteouscustomerserviceandhavepositive
interactionswithcustomers.
7. Vendorswhoapplyontimewithsupportingdocumentswillhavepriority
overthosewhodonot.
8. Vendorsmustpayatleastoneweekinadvance.Boothfeesarenonrefundable.Inthecaseofsnowandthemarketiscancelled,boothfeeswill
becreditedtothenextweek.
9. GrowOakRidgeiscommittedtoofferingavibrant,thrivingfarmersmarket
experienceforourcustomers,andreservestherighttorefuseanyvendorfor
duereason,evenoutsidetheseguidelines.
MarketMoneySystem:
Vendorsareencouragedbutnotrequired,toacceptdebit,credit,andEBT(food
stamp)cards,usingasmartphoneapp.
Becausenotallvendorsdothis,however,ALLVENDORSarerequiredtoaccept
“MarketMoneyTokens”issuedbytheinformationdeskatourmarket.Thisis
similartosystemsusedatotherlocalfarmersmarkets(MarketSquare,NewHarvest
Park,forexample).
Theinformationdeskwillsell2colorsoftokens--RedandGreen--thatcustomers
willpurchasewiththeirdebit,creditorEBT(foodstamp)cards.Eachtokenwill
havetheGrowOakRidgelogoonit.
• GreenTokens–$1and$5Tokens.TheseareDebit/Creditcardtokens.
Theycanbeacceptedforanyitemavendorsells,andvendorsmaymake
cashchangeiftheamountisnotquiteaslargeasthetoken.Vendorsmay
turningreentokensattheendoftheday,andreceiveCASHinreturn.
Vendorsmayusegreentokenstobuyfromothervendors.Greentokensmay
begivenasprizestocustomersforvariouseventsthroughouttheseason.
Remember,GreenmeansGOforit!
• RedTokens–$1and$0.25tokens.TheseareEBTcard/SNAPtokens(i.e.,
foodstamptokens).RedmeansSTOPandthinkaboutitfirst!Thesetokens
canONLYbeusedonUSDAapprovedfoodslikefruits,vegetables,meats,
poultry,packagedbakedgoods,packageddairyproducts,otherpackaged
foodsandfoodproducingplants(herbs,tomatoplants,etc.)ItEXCLUDESany
read-to-eatfoodssoldhotorintendedforon-siteconsumption,andit
excludesbeverages.
o Touse:CustomerpresentsBOTHtheSNAPcardandthetokentothe
vendor.Vendorsgivethecustomerareceiptfortheitem(themanager
willgiveyoureceiptforms,ormakethemyourself).Vendorsmust
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writetheprice,paidamountandchangerequiredonthereceipt,and
thecustomercangetitattheinformationdesk.Forexample,ifthe
itemis$3.10,andthecustomergives$4inredtokens,thevendor
writesthetransactiononthereceipt,showingthatthecustomeris
due$.90inreturn.Thecustomercangethisorhercardreloadedat
theInformationDesk.INNOINSTANCESHOULDAVENDORGIVE
CASHCHANGEFORANEBTTRANSACTION!
o SalestaxisNOTallowedonanyREDtokenitem.
o Attheendofthemarketday,vendorsmayreturntheREDtokensto
theinformationdeskandfilloutareimbursementform.
Reimbursementswillbedistributedthefollowingweekbycheck
fromthemarketmanager.
o VendorsMAYNOTuseredtokenstopurchaseitemsfromother
vendors.
REDMEANSSTOP(THINKABOUTIT!)ANDGREENMEANSGOFORIT!
Cancellations:
GrowOakRidgemarketsareheldrainorshine.Incaseofaweathercancellation
(snoworice),marketstaffwillnotifyvendorsviaemailandissuenecessaryrefunds
and/orcreditforthedate.Vendorswhocancelbecauseitissnowingoricyintheir
neckofthewoods(butnotatthemarket)arenoteligibleforrefund.
Boothfeesmustbepaidoneweekinadvance.Ifavendorwishestocancela
previouslyscheduleddate,heorshemustcancelONEWEEKinadvancetorequesta
refund.Cancellationsduetoemergenciessuchaspersonalhealthcrisisorother
extraordinarycircumstanceswillbetakenintoconsiderationregardinganyfees
due.Vendorsmustattend80%oftheirselecteddatestoreceiveapermanentspace
(thesamespaceateachmarket)thefollowingyear.Vendorswhodonotattend80
percentoftheirscheduleddateswillnotbeassignedapermanentspotthenext
year,andriskbeingplacedonthewaitinglist.
Sponsorships:
GrowOakRidgewelcomessponsorshipsfromlocallyownedbusinesseswhoshare
thevaluesoflocalfoodandhealthylifestyles.PleasecontactRebeccaWilliamsfor
sponsorshiplevels,[email protected].
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