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Sandy Dietz and Diane Leutgeb Munson’s first customers of the morning carried canoe paddles and life jackets — after boating their way across the river.
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Bernard Feyen bags tomatoes Saturday at his stand at Winona's Farmers Market. Feyen, who lives in Blair, Wis., made the drive to Winona through LaCrosse since the Interstate Bridge is closed. (photo by Katie Derus/Winona Daily News) |
“It started out slow,” Dietz said. “There’s not a huge crowd. I’m sure we have a lot of customers from Wisconsin.”
Several customers and vendors at the farmers market live in Wisconsin, such as Bernard Feyen of Blair.
Feyen has set up shop at the Winona Farmers Market for 12 years, selling his match tomatoes and a variety of flowers from his farm, Feyen’s Hillside Garden.
“(The bridge) is quite an inconvenience, since I have to go to La Crosse (Wis.) and back up,” Feyen said. “It’s a bad time because of gas prices. Business has been a little slow today, but not that bad. Slow days are common.”
About eight vendors were at the market late morning, several having packed up earlier because of the storm and one not making the trip because of the commute from his Wisconsin home.
“I guess he thought the price to drive wouldn’t be covered by what he’d make,” Laurie Timm said.
Timm, a vendor with many different kinds of flowers and plants for sale, noticed a bit of a slowdown but had one customer make a special trip over the state line.
“One lady had to order flowers ahead of time,” Timm said. “She was really glad I remembered them, because she said she wouldn’t be back for a while.”
