GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — One Kansas City area suburb is losing one of its staple farmers markets. But The Valley Wagon is much more than that; it calls itself a one-stop destination.
Due to permits they’d need from the city, and rising costs, the small business that weathered the pandemic is being forced to shut its gates.
“Come and go all the time and see – they’ve always seemed to do really well,” Paul Hames, who shopped here and lives in Grain Valley, said.
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“I know that a lot of people not just from Grain Valley, but outside of the community, come there, especially with the price of groceries, come there to get their fresh produce,” Grain Valley Mayor Mike Todd said.
It was the place to go for a cucumber, or a nice little gift for a friend, a different kind of farmers market that appealed to the masses. But a series of unfortunate events has the doors shuttering for good.
First, new plans called for new permits that just weren’t feasible.
“The business is located within a FEMA floodway, so they have to special permission from FEMA stating that whatever they do within that floodway doesn’t impact the flood plain upstream or downstream,” Todd said.
This move would force them to hire their own engineer among other things. Second, something that other businesses and many families are dealing with, that being rising costs.
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In its goodbye post, The Valley Wagon said:
“..the decision was made we also have the rising cost of goods, shipping, produce production, labor, and a host of all the expenses of running a business that has cut our margins.”
“I’ve sent it – I know everyone that I’ve talked to has seen it the cost of living is hard on everyone right now – wages have not increased at the same pace as the cost of living – I know a lot of our small businesses are struggling,” Todd said.
“It’s no surprise – with the times the way they are hopefully that’s going to change – everybody is just sort of bumping along,” Hames said.
The decision here is effective immediately and they will not, as of now, be reopening.
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