Eager for the homegrown and homemade, deal-hunters prowled the booths of the freshly opened Hitching Lot Farmers” Market Saturday in Columbus, picking up everything from pies to “redneck backscratchers.”
But the backscratchers — weathered corncobs stuck on light wooden poles by the entrepreneurial Alan Bobo — didn”t sell as fast as the River Bend Farms fresh beefsteak tomatoes a couple booths over.
“We actually sold out and had to go back and pick more,” said Vinny Harris, who opened the farm in 2010 with his wife, Karen. “We tried the early run this year and it”s going excellent.”
The thought of fresh tomatoes this early in the year drew many people to the market, including Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle nurse Doris Yoder.
“Tomato sandwiches,” she said. “You can”t get much better than that.”
Yoder was just one of many people who migrated through the pavilion at the Second Street and Second Avenue North market today. But according to Maddy Halverson, who runs the Simply Sweet baked goods booth with her sister, Audrey, the crowd was down from last year.
Shivering in the chilly breeze, Audrey Halverson said things would pick up in upcoming weeks as temperatures “get warmer and farmers get their produce out.”
Katherine Munson, farmers” market manager, felt the chilly morning was unexpected. “I don”t want to say (the temperature) hurt us, but it took us by surprise.”
First-timer Bobo, who runs Mr. B”s Bluebird Houses out of his 3252 Military Road home when he”s not working as a Lowndes County Circuit Court bailiff, said he was pleased with the turnout and an opportunity to peddle his wares.
In addition to the backscratchers and bird feeders, he sells dust pans made out of old license plates, squirrel feeders and E-911 reflective road markers.
Although his craft is “just a hobby,” Bobo said he enjoyed sharing his passion with others. Plus, he added, it “keeps me out of the La-Z-Boy.”
According to Munson, Saturday”s market featured 26 vendors, 22 of which were annual vendors, with vendor six spots still open.
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