A fixture at Findlay Market

11.15.2018 - Advanced Reporting (Jour 3010) - Photos by Madalyn Norman

On the outer aisles of Findlay Market sits Catanzaro’s Farm Market. The stand has been here for over one hundred years, but was recently acquired by the Catanzaro family. Ron Roth and Don Catanzaro work at the market almost daily — selling fresh fruits, vegetables, and other assorted goods from their main Fruit Market and Deli in Newtown, Newtown Farm Market.

Roth and Catanzaro both grew up in Cincinnati, going to Hughes Highschool and what was St. Gregory Seminary High School respectively. For Roth, who has been in the produce business for 68 years, working at Findlay Market is a family tradition.

Roth has lost four sisters, a brother, and a brother-in-law, all of whom worked at this stand at one point in their life. The name of the market has changed, but his family has stayed constant — even owning it under the Roth name at one point. “It’s not what it used to be,” Roth says about Findlay Market today. He recalls a time when the whole ally outside was filled with vendors, mostly produce or farmed goods, but now “there are not many farms left in Ohio.”

The “fresh” produce mostly comes from around the country now, a sad reality due to a decline in local farmers and an increase in centralized farming. The produce you get at Catanzaro’s is about the same quality as what you get at Kroger. The prices are similar too, a pound of carrot for a dollar, a basket of potatoes for three, they even have a sale table with odd or slightly older produce. The only difference here being you may hear a story or two from a couple of industry pros.

In today’s modern grocery world, the experience is increasingly impersonal. You head to Kroger, picking out your produce knowing the sign’s price is what you’ll pay, and head to the self-checkout line — then you’re out, almost as quickly as you came. But at Catanzaro’s, the lost art of the sale is alive and well. Get to talking to Roth or Catanzaro and you’ll probably end up buying more than you came in for, but don’t worry because bargaining is always an option. It is an experience some have referred to as refreshing.

Roth recalls working in a small produce store in Clifton that no longer exists. “I used to wheel onions and lettuce through campus to the old McDonalds that was near here.” Times have definitely changed, as McDonald’s most likely gets its produce from across the country these days, rather than across Clifton. Sixty-seven years ago more than 60 percent of the world's population was principally engaged in agricultural activities. By the year 2000, this figure was reduced to a mere 40 percent. And according to projections, the world will see only one-third of its population engaged in primary production by the year 2025.

Back in Cincinnati, Findlay Market is also seeing a decrease in producers and vendors. According to Roth, rising rent and limited space are to blame. “They like it warm and we need it cold!” Roth says, pointing to the plant vendor next door that is in on weekends. “And the meat vendor that was next to us had to leave because [Findlay Market] wanted a whole year rent in advance — nobody can do that.”

But despite the changing landscape over the years, Catanzaro’s market has stayed a fixture at Findlay Market in one form or another. Maybe their product is fresher or tastes better, or maybe it is the personal experience that keeps people coming back. Whatever it may be, Roth and Catanzaro say they don’t plan on going anywhere, any time soon.

Catanzaro’s market stand will stay open all winter long, with its workers and customers alike bundled up in winter coats, hats and gloves. The winter weather is perfect for acting as a natural refrigerator Roth says, and the produce duo will continue to work the market no matter the weather.

Another day comes to an end at the last standing produce market in Findlay Market. As they close up shop, it makes you wonder if it will continue the test of time; but for now, they pack up and close down the garage-style doors, preparing for another day to do it all again.