The farmers market-where the community comes together
C.J. Eldridge, Staff Writer
Steaming hot coffee, sweet baked goods galore, fresh honey from hive to jar, wood-carved items of all shapes and sizes and numerous other unique things can be found at the Travelers Rest Farmers Market.
It has something to offer for everyone’s taste. Attendees can start the day off with Bridge City Coffee to keep warm. They should then take the time to scope out the nearly 75 vendors that set up shop around Trailblazer Park.
Anyone from North Greenville who wants to try these different foods should certainly stop by, as there are plenty of food trucks to choose from and try out with friends. Project Host is one of these. They work to feed the homeless. Buying from their truck is one of the ways to support their mission.
Tuft cotton candy, pecan yummies, chocolate artworks and Saint Hazel Bakery Company are just a few of the many booths to quench an unsatisfied sweet tooth.
Speaking of sweet tooth, there are multiple honey producers to choose from, like Vdovichenko Bee Farm and Bee Well Honey. The farmers have been setting up shop for six years now at the farmers market and offer an assortment of honey types.
Granny Mo’s Salsa Company is a very new business–only five months old–but their homemade salsa recipe goes back generations to the 1950s.
Besides a couple of vendors who sell goods that cannot be gotten locally, everyone at the market has to make their product within 50 miles. That is as farm to table as it gets, so take the time to check out the farmers that show up such as Feather Creek Farmstead. They sell different plants and on the more unique side, goat soap.
Many artisans are there too, offering handcrafted goods from pottery and wooden bowls to knives and beeswax wraps. Fiddlestix Woodwerx turns dying trees into works of art. Woodsmann Outdoors forges knives and leather work that oozes quality craftsmanship.
Dapper Sandlapper makes colorful custom bow ties for all shapes and sizes, even dogs.
Something to keep in mind with all of the attending businesses is that most of them are run only by one or two people who have a passion and pursue it. There is a long history at each of these booths and they are happy to talk about it.
Many of them are veterans of the farmers market and some have just begun. The event would not have been transformed from a few stands set up behind Sunrift Adventures to the massive showing of today without the community.
And the feeling of a community that yearns to help one another to succeed is overwhelming to see. No matter the weather, people come to show their support to these small businesses and to mingle with their fellow neighbors. The previous farmers market had 600 to 700 people show up despite the harsh weather.
People come from all over to Travelers Rest to see the market for the social aspect as well.
“I think what makes it unique is that you’re meeting the people who prepared the food or grew the food, so you’re getting that one to one contact with the person who actually made it and brought it to you. So again, I think that goes to that more social aspect of it. You’re talking to the farmer about the greens he picked that morning for you or you’re talking to the baker about a special recipe she made for these cookies,” said Mayor Brandy Amidon.
Amidon had a lot more insight into the event and its importance.
One of the requirements for selling at the farmers market is that the product must have been grown or made directly by the seller, not bought from some other company. “I think that makes it really unique, especially for students, to get to see who’s making it or who’s growing it,” Amidon said.
People can try out samples of the products before buying them as well, which is very unlike going to a supermarket. This way buyers can put a face and a name with the product.
“I love the social component . . . I like to just walk around and talk to the vendors. I like to listen to the music that’s playing in the background . . . It is our community hub. It’s just what you do on a Saturday,” said Amidon.
Amidon believes this social component is the most impactful part of the event. “You’ve got families driving all the way from Greer, for example, just to come to our farmers market . . . They feel safe. They can have their kids run around. They can try new foods . . . And everybody is so kind too. I think that makes a big difference too.”
The market has been going strong for 15 years now. What sets it apart from many others is its nonprofit status. It is organized by the people.
Trailblazer Park is not far from NGU and visiting the farmers market on one of the days they hold the event is crucial to involving oneself in the culture of Travelers Rest and South Carolina in general.
The Winter Pop-Up Market will be held two more times this year. Once in March and once in April, it is the second Saturday of the month from noon to 3:00 p.m.
