Indoor farmers market vendors find success in first season

Mariann Wittrock has a routine that she will follow on three more Saturdays this spring.

When the Falls Park Farmers Market vendors have their wares set out on tables and the music is playing in the background, the Sioux Falls woman will walk through the door at Mosaic Arts & Events on Main Avenue.

She will walk out a few minutes later, purchases in hand, happy knowing that she once again has supported local producers and creators.

“I like shopping local,” Wittrock said.

That’s why Wittrock, a longtime supporter of the farmers market that is open from May to October at Falls Park, was happy to learn that some of the vendors had decided to try an indoor market during the colder months.

The indoor farmers market has drawn about a 50-50 mix of old and new customers, said Amanda Golden. She and Darci Golden are co-owners of Tail Chasers Tasty Treats, which offers all-natural dog treats.

“To have the winter market this winter was great,” Golden said. “It was just so accepted, and we’ve had just a wonderful turnout.”

Some of the new customers she has met were unaware of the outdoor market, she said, while others are well aware of the Falls Park location and are eager to continue patronizing area vendors.

“This is a great mix of newcomers and regulars,” Golden said.

While the outdoor market is open every Saturday from May through October, organizers decided to offer the indoor market two Saturdays a month. That gives the vendors a chance to rest and replenish inventory and provides another consistent outlet for their goods.

Since the Tasty Treats co-owners sell at shows year-round, the winter market simplifies the need to find outlets, Golden said.

At the Warner’s Produce booth, Paul Warner’s daughters, Clarissa, 18, and Hazel, 16, joined him in greeting customers. The Montrose man has been a Falls Park Farmers Market vendor for more than 20 years.

Offering fresh produce for 12 months allows him to stay in customers’ minds consistently, he said, and it helps his farm with cash flow through the winter. Like Golden, he has noticed familiar faces but also many newcomers.

Warner also plans to expand his production this spring to have more produce to offer next winter.

“We’re pretty heavy into root crops,” he said.

The winter market has been a great conclusion to Triple Silo Meats’ first year as a Falls Park Farmers Market vendor, said owner Nicole Mattison. Her family business in Lamberton, Minnesota, offers certified organic grass-fed, grass-finished beef and lamb along with pasture-raised chicken and eggs.

“We have products that are available year-round, so to have a physical location where we could bring them was appealing to us,” Mattison said. “It sounds like a lot more vendors are interested in the next winter market because this did go so well.”

The good relationships that Triple Silo Meats was able to build with its customers over the summer could continue with an indoor market, she said. At the same time, having two Saturdays each month free gives the vendors a cushion to be at home.

The chance to shop at the indoor market is what brought Joni Gacke and her husband to downtown Sioux Falls on a recent Saturday and several previous Saturdays. Her shopping list included bread, homemade soap and items from a vendor who sells facial products and body oils.

“I love her products,” Gacke said. “It’s so nice to be able to come down and support the vendors and walk around and get some fresh produce and some of the other products that I probably wouldn’t normally get if it weren’t for the winter market.”

Having musicians playing in the background adds to the atmosphere, she said, making the indoor farmers market a destination.

“We came downtown specifically to come to the farmers market this morning,” Gacke said.

The Falls Park Farmers Market will be open three more Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 21, April 4 and April 11 at Mosaic Arts & Events, 500 N. Main Ave. The outdoor market at Falls Park will return in May.