Dave Palmer, Tank Palmer, and Heather Johnson celebrate the opening of their new business, Florida Farmers Market.

FINALLY, we are OPEN!

It’s been a long time coming, and we have been working very hard for the past 6 months to get us to this day. Our county inspection went off without a hitch, and we happily opened up the next full day after our inspection. Friday, December 14, 2012 is possibly one of the happiest days of our lives here at Florida Farmers Market!

The Florida Farmers Market Cafe ready to serve (pending inspection)

Following a surprise Facebook announcement, Thursday after the inspection, many of our local friends and family members showed up to check the farmers market out. Most everyone had the same question… “When are you going to open the café?” The answer is not a simple one, but we can tell you that we have two more official visits from governing agencies that are required before we can open up the café portion of the farmers market.

Some of the seating in the café. Free WIFI is already set up and available.

First, the Fire Marshal has to visit us and tell us our maximum occupancy ratings for the building and the cafe’s seating capacity. After that, it’s time to call the Health Inspector to give us the OK to serve food and beverages. The whole process can take up to a month, but we are hoping for a quicker turn-around so we can feed these obviously very hungry people who keep asking. (haha!)

A quick look at some of what the FFM Gift Shop has to offer. LOTS of handmade and unique gifts.

Farmers are a bit scarce right now since there aren’t many local Winter crops aside from greens and sweet potatoes, but we have spoken to a few local farmers and some crafters about setting up in the outdoor market booths given this mild Winter we are experiencing. If you know anyone who might be interested, please connect us to one another by passing on our phone number 850-708-9195… We are willing to make a deal on booth rental if they are willing to show up! Everybody else, come and check out our gift shop for unique gifts for you and your family. You could make someone’s Christmas with something cool we made locally right here in Paxton.