Mini Mae's is Coming!

Beginning this Friday, May 7, Daisy Mae's Market hits the road to a second location. We will be open every Friday from 3:00-6:00 pm in the Village of Golf Manor. You'll see our smiling faces in the public parking area across from the Fire Station at 6450 Wiehe Road. We will offer a scaled-down version of the Daisy Mae's you've come to know and love at Findlay Market, but you can be assured that Mini Mae's will have all of your favorites like potatoes, apples, onions, and greens. In addition, we'll have a Crazy Daisy loyalty card for the Golf Manor location. Spend $5 on 5 separate visits, and you'll get $5 off on your sixth visit. We know it's crazy--It's like giving away free food...but we love our loyal customers and want to show our appreciation.
Yes, we're branching out a bit, but we're still open FULL-TIME at Findlay Market, too.
Golf Manor hours: Friday, 3-6
Findlay Market hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9-6/Saturday, 8-6/Sunday, 10-4

Grab Your Partner, Do-Si-Do

Anyone who works in marketing knows a thing or two about partnering. Successful corporations use it very effectively as a way to get more bang for their advertising buck by linking up with another well-established company. I've seen a perfect example lately with Scott's Great American Ball Park grass seed. Scott's and Great American (and the Reds) have teamed up to sell "actual varieties of seed that are used at Great American Ball Park." It's a win/win for all parties involved.
I realized today that we've been "partnering" on a smaller, local level without even realizing it. It started gradually when we first arrived at Findlay Market last year. Kroeger & Sons came to buy onions and peppers for their sausages. Next Dojo Gelato needed bananas for Bananas Foster gelato. Then Taste of Belgium bought mushrooms for crepes, and Areti's came for onions and tomatoes. These fine Findlay Market merchants often "tweeted" that their recipes contained our fresh produce. Not too long after that, Cafe de Wheels, the mobile burger company, began to be a regular customer. At one of the early special events for Cafe de Wheels, they were so kind as to advertise that the burgers featured veggies from Daisy Mae's Market. We were no longer dancing alone...we had partners!
Earlier this year we connected with Crock of Love. Nikki is a loyal customer who returns each week to buy ingredients for her personal chef/crockpot service. In addition, Crock of Love has recently set up shop at Neon's serving Happy Hour food including Daisy Mae's produce. What a great way to spread the Daisy Mae's brand and the Findlay Market theme!
The excitement continued to grow today as I was doing some planning with Cooking with Caitlin. This trio of fun-loving gals seems to be cooking everywhere these days and telling the world about it...They're on Twitter, Facebook, writing blogs, sending newsletters, on the radio, and coming soon again in June, they'll be on Fountain Square for Market on the Square. When Kelly said, "We're excited to have partnered with you," I realized that's exactly what we've been doing..partnering. We're building a community of businesses that work together because the joint return is better together rather than separately.
Best business lesson learned so far: Grab a partner and do-si-do!

YOUR Produce Guy

A friend of mine observed not long ago that it seems people have shorter tempers these days. She attributed that to the fact that we so often have to "Push 1" for Account Balance, "Push 2" for Questions about your Checking Account, "Push 3" for Questions about your Savings Account, and often have to wait on hold for several minutes before being redirected...often to the wrong person in the end. She reminisced about the days when she had "her banker." He was a real person with a name and a face that she saw regularly. If she had a financial question, she called "her banker." If she had a complaint, she reported it to "her banker." My friend recounted a recent issue at the bank where she was passed from one person to another to a voice mail until she was totally frustrated and at her wit's end. "If only I could have talked to 'my banker,'" she said.
I'm starting to think my friend is right. I know others who talk about "my plumber," "my yard guy," "my florist." They look to these specialists as authorities in their fields. They call them with problems, ask them for advice, and recommend them to others. My friends exhibit a weird sort of ownership...as if these people are known only to them...and that you must get a referral before talking to "their guy." When they can't get "their guy," they become edgy and uncomfortable...How can a stranger really help me? How can someone who doesn't understand me know what I really want?
If you often feel lost in our fast-paced world of answering systems, passwords, and customer service representatives, I'd like to direct you to Findlay Market. This Cincinnati landmark still exists as a place where you can talk to "your butcher," "your baker," and (yes) even "your candlemaker." The merchants at Findlay Market are real people with real names...and after a while, they will come to learn YOUR name. If you need advice, have questions, want to complain, or just want to chat, come to Findlay Market. You'll find real people just waiting to meet you. (And by the way, "my produce guy" is under the silver tent at the Race Street entrance...tell him I sent you.)