Horniman farmer's market - get your act together please Horniman management

[malumbu]

Would normally contact Horniman direct but I understand that they are very keen in monitoring social media.

Anyway I understand that since you took over the contract the market is dying a slow death with reduced visitors and stalls. Hope others on this site can join in with me to encourage you to get this reversed.

[Phlox]

When did they - the Museum? take over?

[bobbsy]

I used to like the market, wandering up more often than not on a saturday morning for a coffee and a treat at the stalls. However, I'm lactose intolerant so need lactose free milk in my latte...it became the norm that the coffee bar didn't have soya milk or alternative so I lost interest in buying a coffee from there. A very small thing, but means at least one less person and a lost sale of coffee and something from the stalls.

[malumbu]

I don't know exactly when the museum took over publicising the farmers market, nor exactly what changed (if anything).

It used to be popular but now seems to be dying a death. It would be great to hear others views.

what is too twee, too expensive or has the novelty warn off? I quite like a few of the stalls and happy to occasionally pay a premium.

Bobbsy, raise the soya milk issue with them or pop into my gaff and I'll lend you a cup full.

[Saffron]

If the novelty has worn off, what other markets are drawing customers from Horniman?

For example, the Brockley Market has massively drawn away customers from the smaller Hilly Fields market. The Brockley Market also seems to have a much bigger and better coordinated social media presence and general advertising. Hilly Fields probably has less resources for publicity.

I would have thought the Horniman is better resourced, but perhaps they lack the management experience necessary for the market's longevity. It would be a shame to lose it. xx

[bobbsy]

Thanks malumbu.

I didn't write this above, but I also think prices became a bit extravagent on the stalls at the horniman market.

[Elphinstone's Army]

It's disappointing.

After having a good peruse and sampling the street food on offer and mentally shrieking at the cost of a lump of bread which looked as though it belonged at the Jorvik Centre, I didn't want to repeat the venture.

We shopped for greens and flowers at the main stall, the quality is excellent, but it's absurdly expensive. We would walk or bus depending on mood and weather as parking is difficult. If we drove we always thought : now we are in the car we might as well go to Brockley.

Then of course it's humping it all home sans car.

And all seemed a bit of an effort. Perhaps it is just a little too far.

We are spoilt with not only Brockley, but years of Borough Market, although that is losing its lustre, threatened as it is by it's upstart neighbours in Maltby Street, Ropewalk.

The Horniman Market is hitting on a precise demographic which is easily jaded, or perhaps when what is offered does not satisfy, will look for it elsewhere.

We also have Dulwich College and Dulwich Village markets, vying for trade.

Herne Hill Sunday market offers more interesting fare, enthusiastic, entertaining and sparkly stall holders, and good 'atmosphere' which has eluded the set up at the Horniman.

Why not a good old fashioned greengrocers locally, who makes fresh juices, opens early, always jovial, sells fresh farm eggs, honey, Kent apples and cob nuts, does 10p rabbit bags (discarded outer leaves) and provides us all with fresh fruit and veg and vitamins, delivers! and gives boxed organic A&C and Riverford and that other new one, a run for their money, now wouldn't that be wonderful.

Horniman farmers market had a novelty factor which it clearly could not sustain as bobbsy has described. To not have an alternative to dairy milk for coffee for example, seems both short sighted and perverse. And wilfully ignores a prescription for enhancement. There is no vibrancy. Or to quote steveo, it's beige.

[NewWave]

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I don't know exactly when the museum took over

> publicising the farmers market, nor exactly what

> changed (if anything).

>

> It used to be popular but now seems to be dying a

> death. It would be great to hear others views.

>

> what is too twee, too expensive or has the novelty

> warn off? I quite like a few of the stalls and

> happy to occasionally pay a premium.

>

> Bobbsy, raise the soya milk issue with them or pop

> into my gaff and I'll lend you a cup full.

We still go to the Horniman farmers market and buy our weekly salad stock there, and veg-in fact we rely on it, however I would agree that there seem to be less and less stalls, especiallly as now its the summer I thought it would have picked up.

There seem to be too many stalls selling cupcakes and nonsense rather than a good selection of fresh produce.

I personally DONT think the salads and veg are hideously over-priced my other half and I are a civil servant and shop assistant so certainly NOT on large salarys, and I find the cheese stall lady is wonderful at selling small less expensive portions.

In fact its only the scotch egg stall that I find a bit of a rip-off to be honest.

We checked out the new dulwich village farmers market and by comparison that WAS very expensive...serves us right I suppose!

[malumbu]

I go on from time to time about high streets and independent shops. As a nation we prefer to do much of our shopping on line or at the supermarket at the loss of the old fashioned (and generally long since gone) high street.

Once you are weaned off it much of the supermarket stuff is pretty awful - plastic bread (the Chorley Wood method), unripe fruit and veg, rubber cheese and I particularly like the 'taste the difference range' which often seems to be Emporer's new clothes.

But it is still a shock at times to see how much more artesan (for want of a better term) stuff costs. I do buy the bread, it is good, but then I try to use it carefully to get maximum taste/vs cost! Some of the stuff like pies and cakes I think I can do better myself at half the price. But then I don't bother. Fruit and veg is OK.

When it is closed then we will all whinge about its loss. And of course it put the final nail in the coffin on the Forest Hill Station Farmers Market.

Anyway good discussion, hope Horniman is monitoring.

PS In Paris what absolutely brilliant street markets and boy were they being used. Those damened Europeans doing things better than us. tut tut.

[HornimanMuseumGarden]

Hi everyone

Horniman Museum and Gardens here.

Yes, we have taken over the running of the Farmer?s Market two weeks ago and have just appointed someone who will be running the Market, working with the stallholders and telling people what they can expect from week to week online and around the Horniman site. I will certainly pass on your comments about lactose free drinks to her, as well as the other comments in this thread.

We are really excited about bringing the Market in house and you will be hearing more about the Market very soon. In the meantime if you have any comments about what you would like to see (like Bobbsy's lactose free milk) please do drop us a line at [email protected] and we will see what we can do.

[PeckhamRose]

Love this site. You ask and if they care they will answer.

[Elphinstone's Army]

if you build it, they will come .....

[NewWave]

HornimanMuseumGarden Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi everyone

>

> Horniman Museum and Gardens here.

>

> Yes, we have taken over the running of the

> Farmer?s Market two weeks ago and have just

> appointed someone who will be running the Market,

> working with the stallholders and telling people

> what they can expect from week to week online and

> around the Horniman site. I will certainly pass on

> your comments about lactose free drinks to her, as

> well as the other comments in this thread.

>

> We are really excited about bringing the Market in

> house and you will be hearing more about the

> Market very soon. In the meantime if you have any

> comments about what you would like to see (like

> Bobbsy's lactose free milk) please do drop us a

> line at [email protected] and we will

> see what we can do.

Much appreciated seeing you respond to our posts.

The farmers market is a great asset to our community and I'd hate to see it fail or close.

As we live opposite we do visit every Saturday and buy almost all our salads and veg for the week there.

Its great, means we can truly shop local, getting meat from the butchery and fish from moxons,other bits from sainsbury.

It would be great to have a fresh fruit stall there, and perhaps a stall selling good freshly made salads that you can mix in a box, like the stall in Northcross road-she's very reasonable and you can have a big box of salads olives etc for around ?5.00 she also sells superb pies and scotch eggs homemade at a fraction of the price of the current scotch egg stall in the market.

Please try and avoid the rubbish cup-cake stalls and try and get the odd good niche product-the other week there was a great stall selling just garlic based products.

Perhaps a gluten free and dairy free cake, sweets and bread /pastry stall could be a good option.

Good luck!

[etta166]

NewWave Wrote:

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> Perhaps a gluten free and dairy free cake, sweets

> and bread /pastry stall could be a good option.

> Good luck!

That is a stall that they already have. Sweet Carolina does gluten free, dairy free and vegan treats including cakes. I'm not sure if she is there every week, though.

[bobbsy]

Yes, thanks for responding HornimanMuseumGarden, good to know you're reading it!