Proud “Nominate a Goodie” Partner
Shhh … bring 20 bucks, join the mob, and watch each transaction bring a smile to a vendor’s face.
Vanessa Amspacher became a fan this summer of the Saturday Public Market where her brother, Karl Amspacher, sold fresh produce.
“Karl interned at Teal Creek Farms, an organic farm that brings fresh produce to the Saturday Public Market,” Vanessa Amspacher said. “It’s such nice beautiful produce and not enough people know that it is there.”
Amspacher came up with the idea to surprise Teal Creek and the other vendors with a Cash Mob.
“I ended up going to the market most Saturdays,” she said. “I just think the local vendors could use some extra support, and I want to get the word out about the market.”
A cash mob is a new trend in which people use social media to plan organized events, providing a way to join together and support local businesses. The term “cash mob” comes from the same concept of a “flash mob.” Just as flash mobs call together a group of people to meet for a short period of time, so do cash mobs.
“This just seemed like a fun and easy way to surprise the businesses by having a group of people show up and support them,” Amspacher said. “So far we have about 20 people signed up to participate.”
Amspacher has plans for her $20.
“I will buy kale, fresh lettuce, fresh tomatoes, some honey from the honey vendor, and some crafty things,” she said. “I like the Salem community a lot, and I try and support local businesses. Wherever I live, I want to help support the community.”
Jennifer Olsen, co-owner of The Mushroomery in Lebanon, starts her seasonal participation in the Salem Public Market in the late fall.
“We bring about 15 varieties of mushrooms, mushroom kits, mushroom gravy and mushroom tincture,” Olsen said.
Although she isn’t selling at the market yet, she believes the Cash Mob is a great way to help support vendors.
“It’s a great idea!” she said. “Local support is very important to small business. It’s a great way to expose new customers to the market and hopefully create some repeat business.”
Keeping the Cash Mob a secret maybe hard to pull off, but Amspacher believes a good turnout is more important than the “surprise.”
“I see a lot of support for local farmers and healthy produce, and this is a creative way to show it,” she said.
Cash Mob Details:
To join the group, meet Vanessa Amspacher at 10 a.m. on Sept. 22 in the parking lot of Salem Public Market at 12th and Rural in Salem. If you miss the mob, feel free to come anytime in the day from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information visit:
http://www.cashmob.com/salem-oregon-cash-mob-hitting-local-farmers-market
