Brandeis and Waltham community members who attended the first of three farmers markets in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center parking lot last Sunday said they planned to return for the next farmers market but hoped to see a larger selection of fresh produce and other goods.According to Mariah Rich '10, who, along with Nicole Starman '10 and Samantha Lenard '10, is responsible for creating, organizing and coordinating this student-led initiative, "The event was extraordinary. The vendors had an unbelievable turnout and were all satisfied with what happened."

Liz Hanson and her mother, regular vendors at the Waltham farmers market, were approached by the coordinators of the Brandeis farmers market and asked if they had any interest in coming to Brandeis. Hanson, whose family owns Hanson Farm in Framingham, Mass., said she wished this farmers market were every week. She also said she thought the coordinators must have done a large amount of advertising because there were many people at the market and she and her brother Matt "didn't bring half as much stuff [to sell] as we should have."

Donna Hughes, a Waltham resident and a vendor selling soaps and perfumes from Donna Dee's Designs, said she decided to sell at the Brandeis farmers market because she wanted to "support the school." Hughes, who makes her own soap, began selling it two years ago and now sells it at fairs, farmers markets and craft shows. She also said she plans on returning to the Oct. 5 farmers market.

Rich said, "Some students might have been disappointed by the size of the market. It was so hard to even get the vendors we did get to come in the first place. We are going to make it bigger and better next time, though."

However, Rich was quite pleased with the turnout and overall success of the market. She said, "So many people came out, and it was so wonderful. A lot of people had a great time. Even though a farm canceled on us at 11:45 a.m. Sunday morning, it went really well, so we'll probably have double the number of vendors next time."

Lisa Aremband '11, who found out about the farmers market from seeing the flyers around campus, said that she believes that there is interest for a farmers market at Brandeis and that people appreciate this. She explained that since there is a big movement for organic and local food, as well as for eating healthfully, "this can only help."

Rich said, "I heard [from other students] that it was really great that we were bringing it to campus but that it was too small. I just want students to recognize that this was not a University effort; it was the three of us who started this market from scratch. Overall, students had fun, and it was a beautiful day."

Anna Levin '06, a current Waltham resident, said she did not buy anything because she felt some of the prices were too high.

According to Rich, the prices were based solely on the individual vendors' wishes and had nothing to do with the coordination of the event.

Noam Sienna '11 said, "Supporting local agriculture is something that I think is really important for both environmental and economic reasons."

Sienna said that the market had potential and was a "good start" but that he would like to see dairy products and eggs sold at the next one, which he plans on attending as well.

When asked about the possibility of a dairy stand or an egg stand appearing at the Oct. 5 market, Rich explained, "It's something we want to look into for the next market, but it's tough because of health inspection. It's much harder to get approved as a farmers market if you're selling products that could be affected by the weather."

The coordinators would like to conduct more advertising in Waltham before the next Brandeis farmers market so there will be a larger turnout from the Waltham community. Rich said the time and location of the market would not change for the Oct. 5 market because "this seemed like a good time for students and for Waltham residents. The location was perfect because people could see the market from South Street."

Rich also said it's possible that there will be a student group performing at the market, "in order to make it more of an event." However, she said she is not sure whether that will actually happen.

The three coordinators of the farmers market "really want to thank everyone who came out. It might have seemed small, but it's basically the first step to having a really great market at Brandeis. The vendors were happy, and the students were happy; we've proven to everyone that we can do this and that it can be a success at Brandeis."

-Anya Bergman contributed reporting.