Q&A: Haymaker Market Manager Fritz Seefeldt

For the first time in its history, the Haymaker Farmer's Market will see a new, full-time manager take the reins as market co-founder Fritz Seefeldt steps down this year.

Seefeldt and his wife, Jo Anne, founded the market in 1992 with Kent resident Rick Hawksley. Since then, the Seefeldts have overseen its management — strictly voluntarily — with Fritz doing the bulk of the work. Due to their work, the market has expanded in recent years to average as many as 50 vendors on Saturday morning during peak growing season.

But his full-time job as a nurse is, in his eyes, limiting the market's potential for improvement. Kent Patch sat down with the Youngstown native recently at to talk about the market's humble start and its promising future.

Kent Patch: Tell us about the history of the market.

Fritz Seefeldt: "We founded it in 1992. We started with four vendors the first week."

Kent Patch: When did it reach the point you knew the market would be a success?

Seefeldt: “It took quite a while. There were a number of years I thought it was going to close." At one point, the city of Ravenna tried to entice the market into moving there.

Kent Patch: Why did you keep it in Kent?

Seefeldt: “Because I live in Kent. I wanted to keep it here. Kent is my home.”

Kent Patch: When did it start to grow?

Seefeldt: "I’d say the last five or six years. It’s hard to know what to attribute it to. Part of it I suppose is we’ve been around long enough people know we’re here. It seemed like the larger it is, the more people are interested in it.”

Kent Patch: What is it about farmer's markets that attracts people?

Seefeldt: "They’re fun. It’s just kind of a friendly, family atmosphere. You see kids down there, you see old people. You see all different ages. And having music down there is a lot of fun. People can sit down there and listen to the music and talk to each other, enjoy the food and the ambiance. It’s a nice place to meet once a week.”

Kent Patch: Does the current location limit the market's ability to grow?

Seefeldt: “It does. So it might have to find a new home at some point. We’ve looked at different areas around town, and we’ve talked in the past about possibly being involved in the redevelopment project downtown with the city. I’m not sure where it would end up or where it would be involved. The location we’re at is ideal for the size of the market we are at, or getting close to already."

Kent Patch: How many more vendors could fit?

Seefeldt: "Possibly 25 more. It would involve a double row" of vendors.

Kent Patch: What are some of the other locations you've looked at?

Seefeldt: "We thought about the double row along Erie Street at one point. The row of parking down Erie Street, or what was Erie Street, that’s in transition between DePeyster and Water Street. But things are changing in that area, so I don’t know that that’s even a possibility right now.

"We want to keep it in the downtown area. There really aren’t too many, other than the lot behind the (). It’s not as visible. Where it’s at is really ideal. The shape of the lot is good. Parking along the street is great."

Kent Patch: If that's the de facto location, it seems the number of vendors would have to be limited at some point?

Seefeldt: “Is a cap on the number of vendors so bad? We’re a community of about 27,000. When school is in session I suppose you could double that. It’s a dilemma. I’d like to see the market grow in all sorts of ways, in terms of quality as well. I would like to grow the customer base more."

Kent Patch: How would you increase the customer base for the market?

Seefeldt: “I suppose what we would need to do is put more money into outreach and advertising, that sort of thing. Possibly putting more effort into alternative funding through grants and that sort of thing. I’ve talked to many people in the community who aren’t aware there’s a farmer’s market there on Saturdays. Not so much in Kent, but in Ravenna and outlying areas. It is a large market and a lot of people aren’t aware of it.”

Kent Patch: Does parking become an issue if more customers are visiting the market?

Seefeldt: “Parking could be an issue. There’s only so much downtown close by. A lot of people do ride their bikes and walk down. We’d like to encourage that.”

Kent Patch: Is advertising within the budget now?

Seefeldt: "No. There are grants available … this is one of the areas, I just don’t have time to do it all."

Kent Patch: How much time did you spend each week managing the market during the season?

Seefeldt: "Probably 10 to 15 hours. It is a part-time job. It is a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun."

Kent Patch: How beneficial would it be to have a full-time manager?

Seefeldt: “If they were able to commit the time to it and it wasn’t taking away from another area of their life, I think it would be a good thing. You have to find someone who’s committed to the idea of a farmer’s market and improving the Kent community.”

Kent Patch: Aside from advertising, what other improvements would you like to see?

Seefeldt: “I’d like to see some sort of a structure. That would involve purchasing the property. It would be nice to have some sort of a permanent electrical hookup near or under the bridge where we could simply plug in for the musicians and other things.”

Kent Patch: What's the status of the mural planned for the abutments of the Haymaker Overpass?

Seefeldt: "We’ve gotten the Ohio funding from the Ohio Arts Council. We haven’t spent any of it. We’re awaiting more funding to put a base coat down on the bridge."

Kent Patch: How much more money do you need for the mural?

Seefeldt: "We’re short about $2,500."

Kent Patch: The arts council funding disappears if you don't use it by June, so could the mural not happen if you don't get the additional funding?

Seefeldt: “It may not happen, yes. We’re going to do our best to make it happen.”

Kent Patch: When is your last day?

Seefeldt: “I don’t have a last, official day. There’s going to be a transition. Whoever ends up as manager I’m going to go over things with them.”

Kent Patch: Any changes in store for when this season opens May 28?

Seefeldt: “I think that’s probably going to be about as much of a change as we’re going to make this year.”