By Emma Bracken

For over 50 years, the Fayetteville farmers market has been a community-served center for local produce and handmade products. Every Saturday in the Downtown Square, vendors rise with the morning sun to set up tables, tents and hand-drawn signs along the historic streets. From flowers and fruit to coffee and jewelry, the farmers market is lined with dozens of booths with a colorful selection of sustainably and personally made treasures. 

Fayetteville has no shortage of small businesses, and the farmers market is just one way to get involved in shopping locally. Produce is the most plentiful product you will see across the square, but each booth brings a unique flavor and story to the market. For some vendors, these stories span to the beginning of the market’s history.

“This is the third generation of bee-keeping,” said the vendor from Busy Bee Farm. “It’s been passed down through the family.”

The Busy Bee vendors, husband and wife, described their business as a comfortable place to retire to. Now, they can work from their own space as well as maintain a family legacy in making and selling honey in Northwest Arkansas. Even their teenage sons have now joined in on working the farm, involving even another generation into the honey production. 

“Now that we’re older, the honey is something we all can do.”

There are many other stories similar to these, as families and friends come together to pour their time and love into their products. It is a community effort as well as a community center for people to come together and enjoy the fruits of their neighbors’ labor for a good price. In the Historic Downtown Square, the late summer sun and tree-lined sidewalks bring a bustling crowd of excited locals. The sweet smell of fresh-cut flowers and soft music from street performers create a perfect environment for conversation and building connections with our community members.

“I love going to the farmers market and seeing all of the booths,” said Korrine Leiweke, a market attendee. “It reminds me of the community around here, and it’s fun to meet everyone.”

Morgan Boehm of Middle Fork Farms described his work growing and selling produce as slow-paced and enjoyable. To him, working mostly from home is a privilege he values, and the days when he comes out to sell their products are a fun break from the regular motions of his week. 

“Everything is grown in ten miles or less,” he shared, happily. 

Boehm said he enjoyed running a small business and helping the local economy by making his products locally. Not only does it aid the community financially, but he also appreciates the way the market brings people together.

“My favorite thing about it is getting to see people I know and people who enjoy this kind of stuff,” Boehm said. “That’s really what I love about it.”

Beyond fostering community and telling stories of Arkansans’ homegrown efforts, many of these businesses are also aiming to make locally grown and sustainable products. As the farmers market mission statement declares, the market’s aim is to create a healthier and greener environment here in the Ozarks. When looking around at the hands-on effort and care put into each of these vendor’s products, it is clear that is exactly what the market is achieving.

While large-scale corporations have negative environmental impacts due to their extensive production, packing, manufacturing and delivery, these smaller, local operations are a sustainable solution. 

The vegetables lining the tables of Honest Dirt Market Garden are fresh off a farm nearby and essentially going straight from the crop into the hands of the consumer. For Daniel Evans and the rest of the Honest Dirt workers, it is a priority to sell high-quality products and work toward creating healthy soil in Arkansas. Connecting with the Earth’s natural rhythms rather than bulldozing over them is one way these local farms create a greener and happier future. Even the non-food items are generating sustainability, as vendors hand make the jewelry, candles and art that you can buy straight from the creator rather than ordering one of a million products being mass-produced. 

“I love collecting handmade trinkets and buying fruit from the vendors,” Leiweke said. She described the way that being able to see the love and effort these people put into their products is way more enticing than just seeing something on a shelf at a store. 

Not only do attendees and customers get to connect with one another but are able to build connections and relationships with the vendors themselves. Falling in love with a product could lead to a lifetime of growing and supporting a hometown business you are proud of. Even one purchase locally rather than from a major company is a step toward supporting the community and its environmental health. 

“I think supporting local businesses is a really easy way to help the community and also be more environmentally friendly,” Leiweke said. 

Shopping locally and attending community events such as the farmers market is one way to access both connections with the people around us and a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Not only does buying from local farms and shops boost the local economy and give money to the hard-working shop owners who are pouring their time and money into these products, but also plants the seeds for a brighter, greener future for everyone. 

Fayetteville farmers market is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round, and through the end of September will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well. They also host special events, such as this month’s Tomato Fest, and the upcoming Fall Harvest celebration Oct. 26.