Downtown Bloomington Farmer’s Market returns for the season

Image courtesy of the City of Bloomington

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Downtown Bloomington is nearing the kickoff of their summer farmer’s market season.

The farmers market runs year-round, but the summer season runs from May through October every Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

The market also acts as a producer only market, this means every vendor must make, grow or raise what they sell at the market.

In addition, the market maintains that over fifty percent of vendors are farmers. Those farmers can range anywhere from meat farmers to honey producers.

There will also be other vendors that are artists or make body care items.

At the market, Central Illinois Bakehouse is a hit for attendees.

“They’re delightful, but they’re one of our success stories along with Pollen and Pastry,” said City of Bloomington Downtown Development Specialist, Hannah Horn.

Pollen and Pastry is a bakery that gained success during the market. Because of the success, the business now has a storefront in downtown Bloomington.

“The vendors are just small business owners,” said Horn. “Depending on the scale, they could do a variety of different things.”

This season, the market worked with the health department to approve the use of food trucks. There will be a variety of vendors, but the list has not been released yet.

Farmers’ markets also provide different benefits to a community. Smaller farmers and bakers provide economic development. The end goal for these vendors is to grow their business, whether that’s wholesale or brick and mortar businesses.

“Just presenting what we have inside of our local community to the public is one of our main goals when dealing with the vendors,” added Horn.

There are also educational aspects to the farmer’s market. They offer several different booths that provide attendees with information about different options at the market.

Furthermore, the market acts as a low barrier to entry grocery store for SNAP recipients or WIC cardholders.

“You can come, use your SNAP or your Link card at the market, and we do a one-to-one match to make sure that people are getting some locally grown nutrient dense, fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Horn.

Horner mentioned that the farmer’s market is a good opportunity to enjoy the fresh air, converse with the vendors, and learn something new.