Attracting Farmers Market Customers with Art, Entertainment, and Diverse Vendors
The Baltimore Farmers’ Market is a big, open space under the Jones Falls Expressway that attracts thousands of customers weekly. Every Sunday from 7am to noon, April – December, this concrete urban setting is transformed into a playground for all ages.
The producers-only market features 140+ vendors, including two dozen farmers. In addition to produce, meat, fish, dairy, flowers, and plants from local farms, visitors can buy coffee, tea, kombucha, and craft whiskey; enjoy a donut or an empanada; or nosh on BBQ ribs or vegan breakfast sandwiches. They can also check out the artisans hawking their crafts, clothing, candles, and vintage goods.
Success Factors at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market
City support
The City of Baltimore contracts with the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA) to run the market.
As a non-profit, community-oriented arts organization, BOPA has helped make the market a hot spot for Baltimore’s diverse population.
Other plusses: The market’s QR code features a digital market map and directory. And there’s free parking!
A Festive Atmosphere
The market isn’t just a great place to shop and eat; it’s a fun space to hang out and watch the endless parade of people enjoying themselves. You can stroll around to see how local artists have painted imaginative images on the concrete highway pillars or watch soap bubbles waft in front of a painted school bus. Children can listen to live music, play with musical instruments, or learn to hula hoop.
For those who prefer a more laid-back vibe, the market offers quiet hours from 7-9am each week.
Diverse vendors
The people who sell at the market are as diverse as their customers, creating a welcoming atmosphere for all. Many of the vendors offer innovative products or distinctive displays that inspire customers to stop and look.
The Urban Oyster, the first female and Black-owned oyster bar in the US, got its start selling oysters at the market in 2018 before they opened their acclaimed brick-and-mortar restaurant. They still show up at the market each week.
Farmer Jim Crebs, owner of Tomatoes Etc. Produce Farm in Westminster, MD, uses humor, and education on his produce signage.
Kéllei Burrus, aka Ms. Elderberry, produces and sells a variety of elderberry products–such as jam, tea, and herbal throat syrup—at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market and online. She also sells a whole vegan, gluten-free, organic elderflower crunch cake that sounds divine.
Unlike the big commercial companies, she sources her elderberry locally. Her organic whole elderberries are also available by the pound.
That’s me, Myrna Greenfield, in my happy place at the Baltimore Farmers Market. (Photo by Michelle Johnson.)