Spring Opening Day Could Be Last for Longtime Vendors

The Kalamazoo Farmers Market opens for the spring and summer season in less than a month, but a change in management has some vendors feeling uncertain.

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.

Kalamazoo Director of Parks and Recreation Patrick McVerry told me 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, he said. 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.

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 me they are not ready to talk until the contract is finalized.

Vendor Uncertainty

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. We're less than 30 days from the opening date, and we don't know if we're renewed. I mean, I'm sure we are…but still. 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.

PFC Loses Bid Amid Internal Turmoil

The PFC (People's Food Co-op of Kalamazoo) lost the bid for the farmers market management contract.

Gamsho Group earned a 454 in the scoring, while the PFC earned a 428, according to bidding documents. The contract would pay 15 percent of gross revenue annually to the city.

The PFC, which owns the PFC Natural Grocery & Deli at 507 Harrison Street, has managed the market for more than a decade, including during its recent expansion.

The loss of the market comes as the PFC is going through internal turmoil.

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.

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.

Gamsho: Second-Generation Grocer Expands in Kalamazoo

Gamsho Group is operated by Kiar Gamsho, a second-generation grocer. His father, Sam, has been a Michigan grocer for 40 years, and his family's The Shina Group operates 14 urban grocery stores in the Detroit area.

Kiar Gamsho grew up in a Detroit-based grocery store family. He worked beside his father throughout high school and college. In his mid-twenties, he decided to join the family business and help expand its reach across the state.

Kiar knew the business well and now had an accounting degree but still needed some guidance on market research and preparing commercial loan packages.

The first store Kiar opened in Kalamazoo became Park Street Market in the city's Northside community. Park Street Market's niche is its meat department, run by head butcher Jim Spica.

City's Parks Department Now Running Market Operations

The Kalamazoo Farmers Market has been operated by the People's Food Co-op currently and operates from May through late November. The market attracts on average over 4,500 people each weekend and provides a market for over 100 vendors.

The market is located at the Bank Street facilities in the Edison Neighborhood, managed by the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

The new three-year contract with Gamsho Group would start this month, with three one-year renewal options available.