On a recent visit to the market, skies were overcast and scattered rain showered over Austin. Under the spotty weather, residents still made their weekly trip to the Austin Town Hall Farmers Market.
The Austin Town Hall Farmers Market is open from 1 to 6 p.m. every Thursday outside the Austin Town Hall Park, at 5610 W. Lake St. The market’s vendors offer fresh produce, baked goods, prepared foods, handmade goods and vegan meals. The market accepts SNAP and LINK Match.
Although rain turned some customers away and held up a few vendors traveling long distances to the market, by the end of Thursday, Aug, 15, the market had about 60 attendees.
On Thursday, Bot Bakery, Forty Acres Fresh Market, OrgoNatty a bodycare care vendor, Ari by Amari; a lip gloss vendor, Sweet Comfort Creations, and Katr2U a hot foods vendor, were posted under their vending tents.
Karry Jackson, an Austin resident, shopped for fresh fruit at Forty Acres Fresh Market and peach cobbler from Sweet Comfort Creations on Thursday. She said she goes to the market every week, and the farmers market fills an important gap in the neighborhood.
“There’s a lot of people that live in Austin that don’t have the money and the means and the little bit that we do have – they come out and they help us. They help the community, and that’s good. Believe me, Austin needs all that help we can get,” Jackson said.
Yamia Smith, a resident of Bridgeport and Fuller Park area, said she traveled across town with her two pet Yorkies, Max and Roo, to get a taste of the city and try out the Austin Town Hall Farmers Market.
Smith said it’s important to her to buy quality, fresh produce. At farmers markets, she finds her fruits and veggies, but she takes home more than the produce. Smith said she’s been picking up some “green thumb” knowledge from produce vendors when out at markets in Chicago.
“You just get to experience a whole new kind of people that actually put work into things they want to help improve others. Not only just that, you get to meet and network with a lot of different people that might know something that you don’t,” Smith said.
Earline Williams, a long-time Austin resident, lives at a senior living facility nearby and said she enjoys the welcoming sense of the market, almost as much as she enjoys the peach cobbler.
She normally comes to the market for fresh produce and a sweet treat from one of the baked goods vendors, she said.
“I love everything. I mean, we have some beautiful people here. They sell a lot of stuff that I know that I need,” Williams said.
Veah Larde, the market manager, said business fluctuates on rainy days, but the market still saw 60 attendees on that rainy day. She said this goes to show the importance of the market to the community.
“I love it when it’s full. I love it when it’s light, because it’s still a resource for everybody in the community. It didn’t matter, that little bit of downpour we had earlier. Everybody was coming for their produce and looking for their favorite sweet treat,” Larde said. “That lets you know a community is being built…we truly are here rain or shine.”
The market closes Oct. 3, which is not long away, Larde said. She said she wants to find out ways to make the market year-round, so the gap that the market fills in resident’s food access can continue past the market season.
Find more information about vendors, programming, and more on their website.