New Operators Take Over Kalamazoo Farmers Market After People's Food Co-op Stepped Down

The Kalamazoo Farmers Market will open for the spring and summer season in less than a month, but a change in management has created uncertainty for vendors who have relied on the market for years.

A new group is running the market through a contract with the City of Kalamazoo. It is the first time the contract went out for bid since 2013.

The new group, Gamsho Group, owns two grocery stores in Kalamazoo: Midtown Fresh and Park Street Market.

What Happened to the People's Food Co-op?

PFC, or the People's Food Co-op, announced it will no longer operate the Kalamazoo Farmer's Market. PFC has run the market for thirteen years.

A statement posted to the Kalamazoo Farmer's Market Facebook page on April 6 said the city of Kalamazoo has indicated that it will instead award this year's farmer's market contract to Gamsho group.

PFC has been the subject of much scrutiny since January, when it began appointing board members and firing staff, citing financial issues.

In the post, PFC thanked vendors, customers and the community for supporting the market during PFC's tenure and wished Gamsho group luck.

PFC currently operates the winter market, and said in the statement that it will continue running the winter market until April 25.

The loss of the market comes as the PFC is going through internal turmoil. In January, the board of directors fired its general manager and appointed a board member to be interim general manager. Multiple employees were fired or quit, and multiple board members resigned.

A large group of owners of the PFC, which are people who purchase membership, have initiated a process to replace the board, including with potential lawsuits.

The board has contracted with Plante Moran to review its finances and operations.

"It's a shame that the co-op lost the RFP for the farmers market," said Drew Duncan, who served a three-year term on the board and resigned last month. "That was a huge portion of the financials for the co-op. The business will suffer."

What This Means for Vendors

The delay leaves vendors like Megan Mallory uneasy. Mallory's family owns VerHage Fruit Farm and Cider Mill. She said she has not been able to officially secure her spot at the market yet.

"The farmers market, from May, June, July and August, is kind of our lifeline to stay relevant. That we're not just in the fall months even though we're mainly a cider mill," Mallory said.

"She's less than 30 days from the opening date, and we don't know if we're renewed. I mean, I'm sure I am… but still," Mallory said. "It's really scary. Most of us who have been going for a long time, I'm just personally one of those ones that hates change."

Kalamazoo Director of Parks and Recreation Patrick McVerry told reporters the new group is not allowed to get in touch with the vendors until more paperwork is finalized.

"Still planning to open May 2. The outdoor market will be there every Saturday," McVerry said.

McVerry said the contract should be signed in the next couple of days.

"I think the biggest concern is the timing. We didn't plan for it to work out this way. We essentially started working on the contract last September. Things weren't really working out the way we were hoping for, and we actually took a look internally to see, could we operate the market ourselves, and just due to staffing limitations ourselves, and timing, we don't have the capacity to do that," McVerry said.

Even with the short time frame, the parks and recreation department is confident there will not be a noticeable change at the farmers market.

Gamsho Group told reporters they are not ready to talk until the contract is finalized.

The Numbers

According to the scoring details, which rank the bids, Gamsho earned a 454 and the People's Food Co-op of Kalamazoo earned a 428.

The new contract would start this month and be for three years, with three one-year renewal options.

The contract would pay 15 percent of gross revenue annually to the city.