The Forsyth Farmers Market was founded just three years ago, but it seems safe to say it’s a permanent fixture in Savannah’s economic and cultural landscapes.
And that’s great news, especially given the various well-intentioned but vain attempts at establishing downtown farmers markets over the last decade or so.
The success seems to be related to a number of key factors.
The location at Forsyth’s south end is accessible and shady.
The surging interest in locally grown food shows no signs of abating.
The market’s founders adopted a big tent philosophy to maximize both the number of customers and vendors.
The Forsyth Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday, but some vendors start running low on items long before the official ending.
Last Saturday, I meandered past the 30 or so vendors before settling on some beautiful fresh vegetables and ground beef from Hunter Cattle Company in Brooklet, just this side of Statesboro.
I could certainly have gotten cheaper beef a few blocks away at Kroger, but Hunter’s cattle are grass-fed, with no steroids, antibiotics or hormones.
With purchases like those at the Forsyth Farmers Market, consumers know exactly where their food came from. And they know where their money is going.
Savannah makes another list
Savannah has been included in countless lists in recent years, especially from travel publications eager for page views.
Cumulatively, all those mentions must be helping tourism, but our inclusion on any one of those lists probably has little impact.
But our presence in Forbes magazine’s list of the 25 best places to retire might be an exception.
Forbes has a wealthy readership, many of whom are near retirement age. And surely many of the magazine’s readers around the country already have some sort of connection to Savannah.
Perhaps they have visited here. Or, even better, perhaps they know someone who has retired here.
I’ve been struck over the years by the diverse lifestyle choices that Savannah offers to retirees, from the Historic District to The Landings, from comfortable city neighborhoods like Ardsley Park to the islands.
And I’ve obviously been struck by the crucial contributions by transplanted retirees to cultural institutions such as the Savannah Music Festival and the Telfair Museums.
Ironically, the only downside about retiring in Savannah mentioned by Forbes is the “sluggish economy.”
Our economy would be a lot more vibrant if retirees started moving here at something even close to the rate predicted before the housing bust.
All of which leads to some pretty obvious questions about what else we could be doing to capitalize on Savannah’s existing reputation as one of the nation’s best retirement spots.
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net and http://www.billdawers.com. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.