Sea Cliff Farmers Market still operating but in a new home

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The Sea Cliff Farmers Market, which began in 2014 utilized the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sea Cliff as its home for five years. Providing a space for local artisans to sell a myriad of products in a welcoming farmers market setting it was popular, so much so that organizer and manager Amy Peters said that at the end of last year, the market needed more space to operate. She was happy when she received the approval of St. Boniface Church to use its field on Sea Cliff Avenue.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, though, Peters said church leaders said it was too big a risk to house the event come Spring 2020. However, the market was able to rebound and set up shop in a new home — outside Horman’s Pickle Factory at 36 Garvies Point Road in Glen Cove.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be able to do it but also to Harmon pickles for offering their parking lot,” Peters said. “That was very helpful and enabled us to get going, and Glen Cove has been very supportive.”

Peters said the market is taking special precautions because of the pandemic. All vendors must be at least six feet apart, she said, and vendors and customers must wear masks. She also said there is a hand washing station and hand sanitizer available. Additionally, she said curbside pickup is available for those who order online, and delivery is an option for sick or elderly customers living in the Sea Cliff and Glen Cove areas.

Nick Horman, owner of Horman’s Pickles, said this is his third year participating in the Sea Cliff Farmers Market. Peters’s commitment to keeping vendors and customers safe by following strict guidelines played a large part in Horman’s willingness to let the market use his space, he said, adding that the situation is a win-win, as customers have access to locally-made products while also supporting local businesses who may have suffered during the pandemic.

Homegrown products are the backbone of America, Horman said and any way to support that is a big plus on societal and local levels. For his own business, which produces specialty pickle products, it has been hard, he said, because many of the restaurants to which he supplies his products have slowed during the pandemic. The market provides a space for businesses like his to have some way of operating.

“It doesn’t solve everything, but those sorts of small things add up,” Horman said. “This could be the start of something else.”

While she is happy that the market is operating at all, Peters said it is not receiving the traffic it had while in Sea Cliff. “I would say we’re suffering,” she said. “It’s definitely not as brisk as I think it would’ve been if we had not had to move to a different town.”

Peters said the vendors who have been most successful are those who sell prepared foods, as customers can walk up, grab what they want and go. Sea Cliff resident Robin Baskin, who makes handmade jewelry under the name Robin Baskin Designs, was one of the businesses who cannot operate in such a way, forcing her to miss her first market in three years.

People like to pick up her products and try them on, Baskin said, causing them to spend more time in her booth than in others. However, despite her ability to sanitize every product after they are touched by customers, she said people would likely be scared about the surfaces. This hurts her business, she said, as live events and shows such as the Sea Cliff Market makes up roughly 95 percent of her business.

Baskin said customers can still buy her products via her social media channels on Facebook and Instagram, but nothing, she said, compares to live markets.

Despite the difficulties presented to the market, Peters said she is still determined to help the North Shore enjoy its local artisan businesses in any way she can. She expects the customer base to build as the season progresses as new customers come in and old ones return, helping her keep hope alive.