Hundreds attend Mayfair Farmers Market preview [slideshow]

The 3500-block of Ryan Avenue in Mayfair was transformed into a small street fair Sunday during a preview of the Mayfair Farmers Market, due to open next spring.

Children waited patiently to get their face painted while adults stopped by the Grey Lodge Pub table to pick up a beer mimosa. Lil Dan’s food truck and White Dragon Philly stayed busy during the lunch hour as people picked through produce from Grateful Acre Farms and Stern Farms.

Organizers estimated a total of 400 people attended the five-hour preview.

Joe DeFelice, president of the Mayfair Civic Association, explained that organizers wanted to offer a mix of neighborhood businesses, as well as regional goods that residents couldn’t necessarily find on Frankford Avenue. Mia Hylan, the MCA communications secretary, was largely responsible for coordinating about a dozen vendors. “We had so many vendors sell out in an hour and a half,” Hylan said. “Wild Flour Bakery and Sinful Cupcakes were just decimated.”

The MCA worked alongside Councilman Bobby Henon, D-6th, to make the market a reality. Republic Bank, a member of the Mayfair Business Association, also stepped in as a corporate sponsor. “We see this as not only highlighting many of the great businesses currently in Mayfair, but perhaps attracting some of these unique businesses to the Frankford Avenue business corridor,” Business Association President and Grey Lodge owner Mike “Scoats” Scotese said.

An additional preview of the market will take place on Sunday, Oct. 14 followed by the grand opening in April. The market will be held every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2p.m. from April through October.

Jessica Lopez is a student reporting for Philadelphia Neighborhoods, the publication of Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab.