2024 RPFM Vendor Rules & Operating Guidelines

Weather

Markets will be held rain, shine, or snow unless the weather is severe and roads are dangerous. In that event, the market manager will notify vendors of the market’s closing as soon as possible via email, text messages, and Instagram private messenger.

Tent Weights

Each vendor who operates under a tent is required to weigh down each tent leg every single market day with at least 30-pounds of weight. Canopy tent weights can be found online or at sporting good stores.

Market Hours & Arrival times

Our operating hours are from 9am-12pm, April through December, and 10am-12pm, January through March. Most of our vendors arrive one-hour prior to open, some vendors (such as our farmers) arrive 1.5 hours ahead of open. As long as you are fully set-up and ready to sell 15-mins prior to opening, your arrival time is up to you. 

Load-In & Set-up

  • April to December, vendors are allowed to drive on the grass to their spots unless a heavy rain has occurred and the market management alerts vendors to keep all vehicles off the grass for the day.

  • Unload ALL of your gear, immediately go park your car on a side street, then walk back to set-up. This reduces traffic jams during load-in.

  • January to March, you are not permitted to drive on the field -- you must cart your gear to your spot to avoid damaging the turf while still parking on a side street.

Tearing Down & Load-Out

Each day, every vendor must teardown and pack up their gear FIRST before bringing their vehicle on to the field to load up. This teardown alerts shoppers to begin to vacate the area, making it safer for vehicles to drive onto the field, while also reducing traffic jams.

Market Opening & Closing Etiquette

  • Vendors should be set up 15 minutes prior to the opening of each market, and -- no early sales! 

  • If you sell out early, you may begin a light breakdown (product, tables, signage, etc.) but no tent canopy is permitted to come down before 12pm unless given special permission by the market manager. 

  • Each vendor must leave his or her area spotless when they leave--this includes kale leaves, vegetable refuse, any and all trash, everything must go! Ice is ok.

  • Vendors must cart all their own market trash home with them. Trash receptacles in the park are for shoppers only.

Vendor Signage

Each vendor is required to have legible signage with your farm/business name, location, menu items, and prices. Schedule some time with the market team if you have questions regarding the best signage for your booth. 

Restrooms, Sanitation, & Best Practices

  • A port-a-potty is located adjacent to the pavilion that is always open yet not usually clean. The Turnip Truck beside the park opens at 8am, and the library inside the park opens at 10am. You may use all three of these locations. 

  • Vendors are required to have hand sanitizer at your booth. Please use it often and also have it available for shoppers. 

  • If you provide samples and/or products that will result in waste material, such as toothpicks, straw wrappers, cups, rinds, corn cobs, etc, you must provide containers for waste disposal.

Prohibited Items & Discouraged Messaging

  • Smoking, alcoholic beverages, and firearms are not allowed at markets.

  • Refrain from making unfounded health & medical claims on your food & beverage product labels at this market. 

  • Refrain from political or religious messaging on your market signage. 

Children, Dependents, & Pets

  • Children, parents, and other dependents are welcome on market days as long as each vendor can still give their undivided attention to their customers. Children and other dependents should not be too distracting or disruptive.

  • Pets are not allowed to be brought to the market by vendors unless approved by the manager. 

Fees

Market fees are collected at the end of every market at the information tent. You will receive a slip of paper prior to checkout that you will fill out with your business name, date, and total sales. There will be a coinciding fee for you to pay no earlier than 15-mins before the markets close. We accept cash & credit cards. Market fees are scaled and based on sales, equalling approx. 5% of your market sales. (e.g., For every $100 you sell, we charge $5) Fees are based on the honor system. If you want to be invoiced, please speak to the market manager. 

Prohibited Products & Merchandising Rules

  • Each vendor must stick to their merchandising & business category. That means if you are accepted to our market as a farmer, you are not allowed to add flea market items or completely change over to flea market items at your booth. That includes bird houses, essential oils, pottery, houseplants, etc. You must only sell the items you described or listed on your application. 

  • Hosting more than one business or brand under your booth, or “buddying up” and allowing a friend’s business to join you, is not allowed and must be approved by a market manager. That means that if you are a vegetable farmer or a pasta maker and you want to start selling your friend’s homemade cheese, you must receive permission first. 

  • Remember that we are an agriculture and food market--we do not accept flea market items and strongly discourage them from being sold at our market. They need to be approved first.

  • We are also a MAKERS market, meaning our vendors make, grow, cook, pickle, etc., their products themselves. Reselling items that are not your own is not allowed unless approved, and highly discouraged except in cases where these items cannot be produced in Tennessee and are sourced responsibly.

  • If you are violating our merchandising rules and receive more than one warning, you will be forfeiting your accepted application and opportunity to sell at our market.

Absences

  • Each absence must be documented by notifying the market manager in writing prior to the missed market day via text or email (text is preferred). 

  • Do not verbalize the absence without sending a written notification. 

  • More than one missed market without prior notification in writing to Charlene will result in your forfeiture of doing business at our market. 

  • Unlike other markets, we do not charge fines for absences, so please give us notice ahead of time!

SNAP  

  • All Vendors who sell items approved by the SNAP program are required to accept SNAP payments.

  • Payments will be made in the form of wooden tokens from customers. Those tokens will be collectedweekly & reimbursed by the Market Manager no later than once a month.

Gleaning

Market Managers will organize a food gleaning to take place at the end of each Market day. An approved community group and/or non-profit will accept donations of food and distribute it to people in the community who need it.

Market Manager’s Discretion

Acceptance of vendors will be at the discretion of the Market Manager. Acceptance is based on quality of the product(s) and the relevance of the product(s) to the overall diversification and mission of the market.

Producers Only

  • Only producers may sell at the market. Farmers who wish to sell must submit an application to the Market manager that certifies that they grow their own produce and/or proteins or make their value-added product. Each vendor in the market must be directly involved with or knowledgeable about the production of the produce or products being sold at the market.

  • A producer is defined as the person who grows or makes the product. This may include the producer’s immediate family, partners, employees or a local cooperative.

  • No wholesale brokers will be allowed. All market vendors should prepare for a site visit by the Market Manager during the growing season. Failure to allow a site-visit once given reasonable notice may be grounds to revoke your right to vend.

Health and Safety Regulations

  • It is the responsibility of each vendor to abide by all state and federal regulations which govern the sampling, production, labeling, or safety of the product the vendor offers for sale at the market. Failure to comply may result in forfeiture of the vendor’s booth. If you have any questions on this matter, please speak with the Market Manager, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Regulatory Services, or the Davidson County Health Department.

  • All processed foods must comply with all applicable state and federal health and safety regulations.

  • A copy of the commercial kitchen certificate or domestic kitchen certificate must be displayed in the booth at all times. Proper labeling must be used as defined by the proper authority. Documentation of certified scales must be displayed in the booth. Proper labeling pertaining to organically grown produce must be displayed.

Insurance

All vendors must provide proof of general liability coverage at a minimum amount of $1,000,000.00. A current certificate must accompany each vendor application & remain on file with the market.

Market Management

The Market Manager’s job is to coordinate all of the weekly activities and to implement the market’s policies. The Market Manager also acts as a conduit of information between the vendors, customers, and community partners. The Market Manager has complete authority to interpret and implement policies at the market site. Quality control is one of the most important factors at the market. Routine inspections may be conducted. If your product is found unfit to sell at the Market, the Market Manager may ask you to discontinue sales of this item immediately. Vendors who repeatedly attempt to sell unfit items or produce may be asked to leave the market.

Grievance Policy

Any Vendor or customer with complaints regarding policy or implementation of policy can request a meeting with the Market Manager and will be contacted in a timely manner to schedule a meeting.