CLEVELAND — A Cleveland entertainment district is finding a new way to bring the community together during the pandemic while also supporting local businesses.
The Flats East Bank is known for its food and entertainment, but when the pandemic caused people to stay inside more, the marketing team decided to bring a farmers market to the area.
“We’ve been looking for ways to bring some of our local residents local produce, support local vendors. It’s just been such a crazy year, and we are trying to support our local vendors,” said Angela Nagal, the marketing director for Flats East Bank.
About 15 vendors set up shop along the Cuyahoga River selling everything from T-shirts to produce and honey. Colleen Strunk is a candle maker. She’s just one of the vendors at the Farmers Market.
“I make them in my basement, and when I go upstairs, the scent is in the entire house. Like, every room that I walk into I can smell what I just made, and I just love that,” said Strunk.
Strunk started her business after being laid off in March because of the pandemic. Now, she sets up at different farmers markets to promote her business.
“I decided to start looking into doing something new, and I started with the candles and started buying waxes and scents and making them through trial and error. I found how I like making them,” said Strunk.
Also at the Farmers Market is a nonprofit called Food Strong Cleveland. Their mission is to bridge a gap in the food disparities impacting the East Cleveland community while teaching kids how to be entrepreneurs and gardeners.
“What we’ve been doing is helping get farmers from our work in the community and other local sellers, and we’ve been bringing some of our students from the school garden program we run to get some experience selling the veggies they’ve grown and talking to people and getting them marketing skills,” said Sara Contineza, the executive director for Food Strong.
The Flats East Bank is supporting Food Strong by donating proceeds to the organization.
“It’s something that we believe strongly in (and) is very important for our future. You know, if you can grow your own produce, if you can grow your own food, then you’re going to do well. You’re going to learn more. You’re going to learn to be entrepreneurs.”
The Farmers Market at the Flats East Bank will run every Wednesday through Oct. 28.
