MILWAUKEE -- Vendors are fighting to reopen a local farmer’s market at the Mitchell Park Domes after it was shut down without explanation earlier this year.
“That was a big decision that was made without any input from the community and the vendors," Kyle Denton said. "It impacts our business a great deal."
Local herbalist and owner of Tippecanoe Herbs, Kyle Denton, is hopeful the Milwaukee County Parks System’s decision to close the farmers market could be reversed because for him and dozens of others, it's their livelihood is on the line.
“It definitely felt a little heartbreaking, [and] a little shocking," Denton explained. "I wasn’t sure how to feel at first because I have faith the community could perhaps rally together."
But Milwaukee County Parks essentially said it’s trying to get the best bang for its buck. For each farmers market event, the Parks loses about $230 and it also isn’t able to rent out the annex during the 23 weeks the market is hosted —but county board chairman Theodore Lipscomb said he sees things a bit differently.
“I think it’s a case of the department really putting profits first," Lipscomb said. "[They're] measuring the value in dollars rather than the number of people that are using that venue."
