The Flint Farmers’ Market is prepared to welcome customers back inside. Beginning Tuesday, June 9, the market will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-3pm (in July this will extend to 5pm) and Saturdays 9am-5pm. About 75% of the vendors will be opening all three days. All open vendors will have CDC guidelines in place. Additional vendors are planning to open by July. The inside of the market closed to the public on March 28 due to the Corona virus outbreak.
Customers will be asked to wear a mask or face covering upon entering the market to shop. Grocery workers are among the highest risk category for exposure to Covid–19, therefore the market is taking all reasonable precautions to protect market workers.
Customers will be allowed in the market through one door and will exit through another designated door, so that management can keep track of the number of people inside the market at any given time. All vendors will be wearing masks and gloves as required by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Genesee County Health Department. Vendors will follow ALL rules set forth for safe food preparation and handling. Some vendors will also have plexi-glass shields on counters. Samples will not be allowed. There will be limited public seating available.
All restrooms will be closed for five minutes at the top of each hour so that market cleaning staff can sanitize the area. Customers will find Purell touchless hand sanitizer stations throughout the market as well as Clorox Wipe dispensers so that they can clean their hands or wipe off product as needed while shopping.
“We are so thankful to the community and to our customers for supporting our small businesses during this shut down,” said Market Manager Karianne Martus in a press statement. “Our trial run on June 2, went very well. Based on that experience and the Governor’s further ease of restrictions for food-based businesses, we are ready to fully re-open.”
The market will continue the online ordering, curbside pick-up/delivery service on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-6 pm. If customers still wish to utilize curbside pick-up or delivery they can order online at ffmtogo.square.site. For Tuesday curbside pick-up/delivery, customers order on Sundays, 8am-4pm and for Thursday curbside pick-up/delivery, they can order on Tuesdays, from 8am-4pm.
The outside pavilion will be open with social distancing guidelines in place as a Growers’ Only Market on Tuesdays, from 10am-2pm and then as the traditional Public Market on Saturdays, from 9am-5pm.
