The St. Matthews Farmers Market located at Beargrass Christian Church will continue hosting 65-70 local and regional vendors from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday mornings through the month of September. Stephen Yates, in his second year as Market Manager, says the market is a “source of community pride” as well as a destination for local patrons to meet up with friends, bring their families, and visit with one another.
All market vendors are carefully selected in an effort to provide strong variety and unique products each season.
“We try to keep a finger on the pulse of food trends,” said Stephen.
Although June and July are considered the height of the food market, September is a popular month for craft vendors.
Not only does the St. Matthew Farmers Market offers Louisvillians a chance to support local farmers, it also ensures their purchased items have been freshly picked instead of packed and traveled in a shipment truck. Customers can establish relationships with the farmers who supply their food and learn first-hand how their favorite market products are cropped.
For Stephen, satisfaction comes from staying connected to the agricultural community and knowing the business owners are able to utilize the event to expand their market. Prices are set by the vendors, and Stephen encourages them to be marketers and to keep a fair price without underselling their product. Stephen also enjoys seeing children of local business vendors attend each week, enabling them to watch their parents run a booth and grow up taking pride in their family business. Similarly, the market teaches youth from the suburbs of Louisville how the food supply works.
The market, says Stephen, is important to vendors and customers alike.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship,” said Stephen. “Vendors get to see how important they are to metro Louisville, and customers get to see what it takes to produce food.”
Beyond the booths, the market also hosts a rotation of live bands once a month, such as Leigh Ann Yost, who will perform tomorrow.
For a list of vendors, as well as more information, visit: smfarmersmarket.com.
Photo: Courtesy of http://smfarmersmarket.com/
