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UPDATED: Aug. 5, 2020 at 11:55 p.m.

Socializing at the Central New York Regional Market has been limited in recent months, but its vendors have continued to provide for the community.

The market, rich with interactions between vendors and customers, is both a social hub and a popular venue for locals to buy food on Thursdays and Saturdays. Following state health guidelines, the market has adjusted its physical layout and encouraged visitors to practice social distancing.

“(The market) eliminated the center aisles and pushed all of the vendors back. So, there is more walking space for people and they have arrows (on the floor) so people are expected to walk one direction and then the other direction,” said Brooks Mullahy, a vendor and the owner of Sunswick Farm.

Vendors at the market have adapted to both the social distancing measures and the pandemic’s effect on their business operations. And though its physical layout has changed, the market remains a vital hub for people in the region to purchase everyday needs.

The market asked visitors in an Instagram post April 3 to keep a safe distance, respect vendors’ safety precautions and stay home if they’re sick. But about a month later, County Executive Ryan McMahon said during a briefing that the market should do a better job of enforcing social distancing measures.

Director Amanda Vitale said the market was determining how to keep pathways more clear and that staff were adding signs advising visitors to practice social distancing, Syracuse.com reported.

Mullahy sees visitors trying to respect each other’s space when they walk around the market or form lines in front of booths, but she said the system isn’t perfect yet.

Tyler Cagwin stands behind Nostalgia Chocolate’s booth with his sister Brooke Hull (left) and brother Todd Cagwin (right). Courtesy of Tyler Cagwin

For Tyler Cagwin, owner of and chocolate maker at Nostalgia Chocolate, wearing a mask is paramount to protecting his customer base.

“I will wear the face mask as long as it is necessary to keep the food safe and customers safe,” he said.

While Nostalgia Chocolate has enough coffee beans to last through the year, Cagwin is concerned the pandemic will create long-lasting health and financial tremors to the farms his business imports from. Abner Argueta, owner of Argueta’s Coffee Imports and Roaster, has similar concerns.

Argueta estimates that his sales have dropped by about 75% compared to what he was selling before the pandemic. Still, he remains positive that the decline in sales will not be a long-term trend.

“You know, the good thing about this is that (coffee is) something that everybody needs all the time,” he said. “You’re gonna need coffee in the morning.”

Argueta didn’t apply for a small business loan from New York state. He didn’t want to deal with the hassle while he still has the opportunity to sell at the market, he said.

“Being small, like I am, I’m the only (employee) and I don’t have too much overhead. So most of my equipment is paid off and most of my coffee is paid off,” Aguerta said. “I don’t need to be in a place to sell my product; a coffee store can call me. I can sell it to (customers) in the market.”

Tyler Cagwin, owner of and chocolate-maker at Nostalgia Chocolate, is increasing the online presence of his business through E-commerce platforms such as Shopify. Courtesy of Tyler Cagwin

Mullahy didn’t apply for a small-business loan, either, since the pandemic didn’t interrupt her work with the bees at Sunswick Farm. The farm has more than 200 beehives, according to its website, and sells honey at the CNY Regional Market.

Sunswick Farm received the New York State New Farmers Grant — which provides aid to farmers beginning their careers — in January 2019. When the pandemic began affecting New York state in March, Mullahy worried her grant might be jeopardized.

Mullahy won’t lose the grant because she has a contract with the state. She’s begun to use the funding to build a new “honey home,” a nickname for the building that Mullahy will process her honey in.

She’s raised $47,625 toward her $50,000 goal, which the state will match through the grant. She plans to finish the honey home later this summer.

Cagwin is also working this summer to expand his business. He’s partnering with Salt City Coffee Roasters to pair his chocolate with coffee beans.

He’s also increasing the online presence of his business. E-commerce platforms such as Shopify are making it easier for small businesses to sell to local customers, he said. The platforms can temporarily halt shipping costs and offer gift cards, which are options he previously didn’t have access to.

Starting this month, Cagwin will also be vending at more farmers markets.

“I am going to start looking into doing some farmers markets over the summer,” Cagwin said. “I don’t do them regularly, but if I can do one a month, I’m pretty happy.”

CORRECTION: The title of Salt City Coffee Roasters was misstated in a previous version of this post. The business is not named “City Coffee Roasters.” Also, Cagwin did not say that Nostalgia Chocolate is partnering with a “Craft Bean Coffee Roasters.” The Daily Orange regrets these errors.

Published on July 29, 2020 at 8:25 pm

Contact Louis: louis@dailyorange.com | @JBL__98