MARY LAEGER-HAGEMEISTER
Extension Home Economist
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Market going has been in the
Hoffner family for four genera
tions. It’s a tradition passed down
from mother to daughter, again
and again. In the past 40 years,
four business-minded women
have operated the Hoffner Poultry
and Egg stall at the Broadstreet
Market in Harrisburg.
Mrs. Landis Hoffner began
operating the stall, assisted by her
two daughters, Dolly and Fay, and
son Aaron. Then it was passed on
to daughter Dolly Pickel. She in
turn has kept it in the family with
the assistance of her daughter
JoAnn and son Richard. Dolly
Pickel is still behind the counters
helping the customers; however,
her daughter JoAnn Stine is now
the official “boss” of the business
since April 1990. But the tradition
does not stop there. JoAnn’s
12-year-old daughter, Dolly Jo,
helps throughout the entire sum
mer, on Saturdays and during
school breaks.
It is such a tradition that Dolly
said, “JoAnn was almost bom
here. When she was pregnant with
Dolly Jo, I told her she couldn’t
have the baby on market days and
she didn’t!”
However, both recall that they
brought their babies into the mark
et when the babies were just a cou
ple days old.
When asked why they have
kept the business in the family for
four generations, the women’s
mile and confess, “Market gets in
your blood!”
Broad Street Market’s History
The Harrisburg Broad Street
Market, the oldest market of its
type in Pennsylvania, has been in
operation since 1860. People can
buy almost anything they need at
the unique market, which is open
Thursday, Friday and Saturday for
10 hours each day. That’s 10
hours of standing on your feet,
greeting customers, and trying to
keep them happy and coming
back.
JoAnn waits on a customer.
The city-owned facility was
renovated about 12 years ago.
Redevelopment brought big
changes. Prior to the renovation,
the majority of the small holders
were farmers, now only five are
actually farmers. One of the most
recent changes was establishing a
fast-food court in the middle of
one of the buildings.
“That never used to be here; it
has taken away stalls for people to
use as sales,” Dolly said.
With the change in stall holders
came a different type of stand hol
der . Prior to this time, the majority
of stall owners were farmers will
Four Generations Of Hoffers Say
Marketing Gets In Your Blood
ing to help one another. “People
knew each other and seemed more
like family,” Dolly said. “Now,
the exhibitors don’t have as much
in common and just aren’t as
friendly.”
Accentuate the Positive
“The best part of market is the
people. Some are extremely nice
and some you just have to get
along with,” Dolly and JoAnn
said. JoAnn commented that even
when they aren’t at market, they
often encounter someone they
know from market. As a child she
remembers that she and her
brother “had to behave because
we never knew if we would run
into someone we knew!”
“Customers are like a family,”
said Dolly. “They share stories of
their children and show pictures.
We’ve been able to see the child
ren grow up. Sometimes, we don’t
know their names, but we know
faces and they trust us.”
The women’s main concern is
pleasing the customer. Local peo
ple are the biggest customers as
they may get everything they need
in one location. Since supermark
ets are not easily accessible to
them, the market serves a com
munity need. The biggest asset is
that consumers can see what
they’re getting and its freshness.
They do not have to buy pre
packaged food that they cannot
inspect prior to purchase.
, Hoffner customers can purch
ase chickens either whole, parts,
or dcboned at no extra charge.
Another unique service is to offer
the bones from chicken breasts to
people who want to use them to
make chicken broth.
Another aspect that is difficult
to find in the supermarket is ser
vice with a smile. Dolly and
JoAnn greet every customer with'
a smile and cheery hello. Some are
customers who have lost count of
the number of years that they’ve
been coming to the market. Others
are new customers with individual
tastes that Dolly and JoAnn strive
to fulfill.
Last week, one feithful custom-
er came to get his weekly purchase
and shared his sorrow in loosing
his 45-year-old daughter to death
that very morning. Neither Dolly
nor NoAnn knew the man’s name,
but there were tears in their eyes
as they listened and grieved for
him. That personal touch contri
butes a great deal to the success of
their business. It also helps an
observer understand what they
mean when they say market gets
in their blood.
One of the other advantages of
market-going is “all the good
food!” remarked JoAnn. Directly
across from their stall is a bakery
Dolly Plckel, right, and her daughter JoAnn Stine, left, said going to market gets In
your blood.
emitting smells of fresh baked
goods and tempting even the most
disciplined person.
Busy Schedules
Until the Avaian flu epidemic,
the women got up at 2 a.m. every
Thursday mornihg and started
butchering 250 to 300 chickens.
“We had to be done by 5 a.m. so
that JoAnn could help with the
milking, and then we’d go to
market. “We earned our mopey
the hard way,” remarked Dolly.
That has changed now. They
buy the chickens from Pennfield
on Wednesday and fill the coolers.
"It’s a lot easier,” Dolly said.
The women sell an average of
1,599 'A lbs. of chicken and 334
dozen eggs per week. At Thanks
giving more than 300 turkeys are
homestead
sold the Saturday prior to Thanks
giving Day. That is the biggest
sale day of the year.
When asked about what they do
iq their spare time, JoAnn
remarked that Sunday is a day for
church and just resting unless
of course there’s something else to
do which there usually is. Monday
is bank day and Tuesday is a day
to run errands so that they can be
ready for market again by
Thursday.
Both women do get some vaca
don. “It works out best by taking
turns,” said Dolly.
For fun, JoAnn said that she
goes out to eat Her favorite foods
are seafood or Italian.
Dolly loves working in her yard
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 22,1990-B3
and gardening. JoAnn said that the
whole family enjoys the produce
of Dolly’s labors in the garden.
Other key people to making the
business successful are JoAnn and
Dolly’s spouses. Dolly remarked
that when they first took over the
business, her husband, Marlin,
was involved, but he prefers tak
ing care of the dairy farm. He sup
ports her efforts in the business
but stays on the farm where he
feels most comfortable.
Harrisburg Broad Street Market
is an educational experience.
When you go, be sure to stop by
and see Dolly and JoAnn at Hef
fner’s Poultry and Egg stall. Then
you will understand why custom
ers continue their patronage. -