((PKG))  HONOR SYSTEM FARMERS MARKET  

((VOA Kurdish))

((Banner:  Farmer’s Honor System))

((Reporter/Camera:  Yahya Barzinji))

((Adapted by:  Zdenko Novacki))

((Map:  Warrenton, Virginia))



((NATS))

((Walter Holloway, Customer)) 

This is the best farmers market in Warrenton by far. Everything is fresh, comes from the valley or locally grown, and Al is a super guy, treats everybody fair.  That's why it's crowded here every day, seven days a week.  I love coming here.  I come here at least four times a week.  Pick what you want, your price, you know.  Everything is, I don't know, I can't say enough good things about this.  


((NATS))

((Dara Weber, Customer))  
 
I get some eggs and I put my money in the slot, and, you know, sometimes I might be a dollar short, might be a dollar over.  I pay it the next time.  


((NATS))

((Alvin Henry, Owner))  

I started planting a few tomato plants and some sweet corn and things like this, and I had some extra tomatoes, and I started out on a very small table here.  The table was probably four-foot by four-foot and I couldn't be there all the time.  And my front door here at the office here, I am a real estate appraiser by trade, and my front office here had a mail drop in it.  And so, I started asking people simply to put the money, the change, for the tomatoes in the front door.  


((NATS))

((Linda Wright, Customer)) 

I thought I was dreaming.  I've never lived anywhere where there was such a strong honor system.  And so, I wanted to not only give him what I owed him, but I wanted to give more because I thought: Wow, what kind of person is being so trustful.


((NATS))

((Jon Henry, Alvin’s Son)) 
 
I don't know if that's like a particular thing to our region of America, like, particularly coming out of rural communities, but I feel like there has to be, like, a high level of trust in your community. 

 
((NATS))

((Alvin Henry, Owner)) 
 
It makes them feel good.  I just trust them and they put the money in and it all works out, and actually, sometimes I think I have more money than what I should have.  


((NATS))

((Alvin Henry, Owner))  

People want to be trusted and this is an open hand, open opportunity here to be trusted.  And, I think, people enjoy that and they like that and they respond to it and they tell other people about it and other people come here and we really don't do any advertising at all.  And it's all word of mouth.  


((NATS))