Local vendors started an Ogden summer tradition Saturday, gathering inside the Municipal Gardens on 25th Street, their booths heavy with food, artwork, clothing and handmade goods.
They were doing more than peddling the harvest. You might say the Ogden Farmers Market harvests the meaning of community in downtown Ogden, featuring a cornucopia of interests from fresh produce to petting bunnies.
Kyle Springer and Becky Silverstein attend Ogden’s market a few times a year to find new local vendors.
“It’s good to walk around outside and to find some of the fresh produce,” Silverstein said.
Springer and Silverstein agreed that the farmers market has things that aren’t as easy to get at the grocery store, like fruit that has been ripened on the tree and freshly baked bread.
Sometimes, the produce is better and at a good price, they said. “We might as well buy it directly from the farmer,” said Springer.
Vendor Hugo Lemus runs The Perfect Peach stand based out of Perry, Utah with his wife. He’s had a booth at the Ogden Farmers Market for nine years.
Lemus says buying produce locally means better quality.
“A lot of the time, the fruit is from other states and they pick the fruit green,” he said. “We let ours ripen from the tree.”
He enjoys coming out to Ogden to sell his product, especially as Ogden’s Farmers Market continues to grow.
“It used to be a lot smaller before, but now a lot of people are showing up. And that’s good for us, and it’s good for the people.” Lemus said.
A new business at the market this year is clothing and art booth Boho Loka, founded by London Musgrave, 20, and Kayla Varnell, 19. The young entrepreneurs said they started their business three days before the farmers market began and plan to bring new products every week.
“London said, ‘Let’s start a company,’ and I said, ‘sure,’” said Varnell.
“We just worked for three days straight and whipped it out,” Musgrave said.
Boho Loka offers modern designs inspired by the ’90s and ’70s. All their apparel is handcrafted and made from salvaged material.
“We’re local girls,” Varnell said. “Reusing things and recycling things and not wasting is kind of a big thing for us.”
“A lot of the products are personal to the community,” said Chelsea White, 20, a visitor from Tennessee.
Her friend Anissa Goetz, 21, moved to Utah for her job. White is in town visiting her family. Though not from Ogden, they understand the value of the farmers market for the community.
“It’s getting the community involved,” Goetz said, so that people can see what’s out there and what other people do.
The farmers market runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday until Sept. 26. Along with vendors there will be a variety of musical performances.
