There is a new way to shop at the Downtown Windsor Farmers Market.
The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association has announced a new online portal where shoppers can reserve their items prior to the market opening on Saturday.
DWBIA Executive Director Debi Croucher says the new e-commerce site is available Monday thru Friday and allows customers to select and hold their items before the market opens.
"They can place their order online and then on the day of market, they bring their order ID with them, they go pick the items up directly from the vendors," says Croucher. "So they can skip the line for one. For two, they can guarantee whatever products or produce that they're looking for is in stock and has been reserved for them."
She says the online site has been talked about before, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIA and others felt now is the time to launch.
"Of course with the varies restrictions of the pandemic, this really came to light as a necessity, something we're really excited to launch," says Croucher. "We think that it will certainly add greater investment into shopping local and supporting and supporting our downtown vendors and it will certainly help our visitors."
Croucher says the vendors are looking forward to the new online site as well.
"It's pretty exciting because it then means they have advanced notice knowing what they should be bringing to market in addition to what they typically sell," says Croucher. "They can increase their orders tenfold with the online store."
The new site went live on Thursday and will be available until the end of October.