The Weblog
This page contains news, event information, and other announcements about our organization. If you have any questions about this program, please email us at littlerockfoodclub@gmail.com or call 501-396-9952.
End of the Year Update
Hi ALFN Members!
We hope you are enjoying the holiday season! We have some exciting news to share with you as we prepare to move into a new year.
We propose to transform ALFN’s online market presence by purchasing a state-of-the- art market platform and we are seeking member support to help cover the cost of purchasing and launching the new software.
ALFN’s board of directors made this decision based in part on generous feedback from many of you, ALFN’s members, over the last several months. We’ve heard your thoughtful comments and believe that each was valuable in helping us decide our next steps.
We’ve also done a deep dive into other factors affecting the market and our key finding is that the market is in steady and steep decline.
We need to level with you; our market is in trouble. We’ve seen an increased decline in sales over the last year that is very concerning to us. It’s only a matter of time until we no longer have a viable market. The decline is due to many factors, but mainly because our customer base and sales continue to dwindle in spite of our efforts to grow. Competition from other markets and retailers has increased tremendously since ALFN’s founding. Your comments identified our dated online presence as undesirable and frustrating for users.
Our efforts to grow the market over the past year have included: increasing our online presence through social media, offering promotions to customers, addressing product quality, offering more products like dry bulk goods, distributing flyers, pamphlets, and posters, launching a new ALFN website, and changing our membership fee structure. The only thing we haven’t tackled is updating our online market software.
And that’s exactly what we, the board, are proposing to do – reinvigorate the market by moving to a new online solution.
Why is this the best next step?
In this era of rapid innovation, our online market is becoming a technological fossil, dated and clunky. An update is needed to improve our customer experience. An improved customer experience will help drive increased sales from existing and new customers. A new system will also provide the board and staff with key metrics that are vital to making informed decisions for the future of ALFN.
Here’s a few ways a new online solution will make it easier to shop with us:
- Mobile friendly ordering, accessible from your phone or iPad
- User ability to sort products by attributes like chemical-free, organic, or naturally grown, increasing ease of selection and product confidence.
- More flexible membership fee options, convenient and affordable for weekly, monthly, and seasonal shoppers.
- Secure online browsing and checkout
- Simple online account management.
Over the last three months, we have spent many hours researching online market options for ALFN. We believe that we have found a good option and want to move forward with the implementation. However, we need to raise the money to cover the startup costs.
In this week’s email from Claire, we’ll have a link to our Go Fund Me page. The goal is to cover the setup costs and at least one year of subscription fees. We hope to raise $5,000.
How can you help?
- Support our move to a new market platform by donating to ALFN.
- Invite your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, even strangers to join the fun at our fundraising event at Lost Forty on Thursday, January 18th. Also, please share our Facebook event page.
- Show your continued love for ALFN by shopping often with us.
- Consider serving as a board member. We have several open board positions and are specifically seeking people with financial or bookkeeping or IT experience. We need your leadership!
Even though we are concerned about the future of our online market, the board is excited about the opportunity to renew ALFN’s user experience and attract a new wave of customers who will become as passionate about ALFN as we all are.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. The best way is to email Claire at littlerockfoodclub@gmail.com.
Have a wonderful holiday! Here’s to a successful and happy new year!
Tifany Hamlin
Chair, ALFN Board
Market Is Open!
Good morning local food shoppers!
The online Market is open and ready for your orders! Check out our newest grower, Rosehill Homestead, who sells pastured beef and chicken. Yum!
If you have not had a chance to read our end of the year report from Board Chair Tifany Hamlin, please take a moment to look it over here. Our market has been in existence for a decade now, and part of our struggle to gain and retain customers over the past few years has been our outdated website, which has also been in existence for a decade! We understand the importance of offering our customers a user-friendly experience, and we are actively working towards updating our online shopping platform.
This is where we need your help! We have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the cost of implementing the new software for our online market. Please share the campaign with your friends, on your social media networks, and make a donation! This market has an incredible group of supporters, and in order to keep offering our services we will need each and everyone of you to spread the word and make a contribution. We also have some great gifts for donation levels of $75, $125, and $150! You can find the link to our campaign and those gifts here on our Facebook page and on our blog.
Follow us on Facebook for more offers and events, or visit our website to learn more about our organization.
Market Reminder
Good morning! Don’t forget to place your orders on the market before noon today. If you’re interested in earning credit for your account, sign up to volunteer with us this weekend.
Weblog Entry
Good morning local food shoppers!
The online Market is open and ready for your orders! Not only do we have kitchen staples like eggs, bread, cheese, and a variety of fresh produce, we also have special treats that are perfect for entertaining or bringing to a holiday potluck! We’re talking harvest fudge, sunflower seed pie, 7-up poundcake, banana pudding, and much more! Shop under the tab “locally made goods” to see more!
Interested in supporting our organization? You can earn credit and membership for your account by signing up to volunteer with us this weekend.
Follow us on Facebook for more offers and events, or visit our website to learn more about our organization.
Market Reminder
Good morning! Don’t forget to place your orders on the market before noon today. If you’re interested in earning credit for your account, sign up to volunteer with us this weekend.
Market Is Open!
Good morning foodies!
The online Market is open. As we move into the holiday gift season, don’t forget that ALFN has hundreds of treats and products from local vendors to conveniently shop online. From holiday cards to fudge, and bath products to tinctures, we have something that everyone on your gift list will enjoy!
Why do strong ties to local food create more resilient communities? Read up on the blog today to learn more about why food brings us all together.
Interested in supporting our organization? You can earn credit and membership for your account by signing up to volunteer with us this weekend.
Follow us on Facebook for more offers and events, or visit our website to learn more about our organization.
Market Reminder
Good morning! Don’t forget to place your orders on the market before noon today. If you’re interested in earning credit for your account, sign up to volunteer with us this weekend.
Market Is Open!
Happy Thanksgiving week everyone!
Our Market is open this week and ready for your orders. What better way to come back into town then with a order of fresh, healthy groceries already packaged and waiting to be picked up? We hope that everyone has safe travels this week and a great time with their families and loved ones.
We’re looking for volunteers! You can earn credit and membership for your account by signing up to volunteer with us this weekend.
Follow us on Facebook for more offers and events, or visit our website to learn more about our organization.
Best,
Claire Admire
Program & Market Manager
Market Reminder
Hey Foodies!
Don’t forget to place your orders on the Market before noon today.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with ALFN we are looking to train more cashiers to help check customers out on Saturday mornings. Contact Claire at littlerockfoodclub@gmail.com for more information!
Best,
Claire Admire
Program & Market Manager
Thanksgiving Market Is Open!
Happy Sunday everyone!
The Market is open. We are officially in Thanksgiving Market week – this Saturday and next Monday are your last opportunities to pick up before next Thursday! Time to stock up on pies, bread, meat, fresh produce, and anything else you need to fill up your Thanksgiving table.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we couldn’t run this market without the hard work of our fantastic volunteers. We will be taking some time over the next week to highlight our volunteers and thank them for their service. If you have a compliment for our volunteers please take a moment to send me an email so that I can compile our customers’ gratitude! And of course, the next time you’re at the market please let them know how much you appreciate them spending their Saturday mornings with us!
Interested in volunteering yourself? You can earn credit and membership for your account by signing up to volunteer with us this weekend.
Follow us on Facebook for more offers and events, or visit our website to learn more about our organization.