I worked in farmers markets and street fairs all around NJ/NY for years including JC/Hob.

It is unbelievable how much drama occurs. Almost always it has to do with vendor location, market rates, and most commonly with product.

I have seen fist fights over pasta sauce. But when the fish guy starts selling pasta sauce and the pasta sauce guy is already competing with the bread guy's pasta sauce, things can get saucy.

I have seen many fights over constantly arriving late. Driving a van around a packed market. Hitting someone's van with your van. Taking too long to set up and holding other vendors up. Usually the same bs.

I have even seen a vendor shamelessly steal another vendor's concept who was at the same market. So basically the chocolate guy shows up one day and isnt selling chocolate but has instead made a carbon copy of a jelly vendor on the other side of the market. everything from product to decor. We were all shocked. For "legal reasons" the market manager couldn't kick them out until the end of the season. Had to ride out months of them just blatantly copying. Crazy.

I used to think "this would mark for a great reality TV show".

But what a lot of vendors forget is that most people are coming to farmers markets to get good produce from local farmers. So as long as the drama is between vendors and the market manager, the farmers and shoppers dont really care