Sunday mornings in the Fairmount neighborhood now bring the promise of tasty, locally grown treats to University students and neighborhood residents.
The contemporary market, a brainchild of University biology professor Karen Guillemin and Eugene City Bakery owners DeeAnn Hall and Ned Forman, opens for business on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot of Sun Automotive at the corner of 19th Avenue and Agate Street.
The motivation for the market didn’t come from urban planners, but from Fairmount residents themselves.
Area residents repeatedly asked for a conveniently located, weekly market where customers could get to know the farmers who grow their food.
“The purpose of the market was to bring … to the neighborhood … a space where the vendors have a good shot at selling enough of their product so it is worthwhile for them to return week after week,” Forman said. “Most importantly, I wanted (to create) a place where the spirit of pleasant conversation and good feelings prevail.”
Sun Automotive is closed on Sundays and has allowed the market to use its small parking lot for free, which Forman believes has taken some financial pressure off of vendors and allowed them to reach a greater customer base.
“(Sun Automotive) has made it possible for us to keep the fees to the vendors very, very low,” Forman said. “The vendors work very hard all year long to ensure their efforts come to fruition, (and) local farmers need as many venues as possible to sell their products once the bounty of harvest begins.”
Passersby will find organic, sustainably grown produce such as heirloom tomatoes and dry beans being sold by local small-scale farms like Lonesome Whistle Farm and Seasonal Local Organic (SLO) Farm, as well as smoked and flash-frozen Sockeye salmon sold by The Salmon People.
Kasey White co-owns the eight-year-old Lonesome Whistle Farm with her husband Jeff Broadie and hauls sunflowers, beets, radishes, chard and tomatoes to the market every Sunday from her farm eight miles outside of town.
“I come here to show people the diversity of their food options and where their produce comes from,” White said. “I want to help them to become more connected with what they eat.”
Tom Murray, the vendor for SLO Farm’s booth, stands in front of the farm’s red-and-green-striped slug banner selling garlic, green beans, raspberries, zucchini and three different types of apples. Murray brings his crops to the market because he says he is committed to providing his customers with a more personable interaction with the fruits and vegetables they purchase.
“People come here seeking a localized, personalized experience with products brought straight from the source,” Murray said.
Linda Castleman, the proprietor of The Salmon People booth, began frequenting the market in early August to sell wild caught Alaskan salmon, and has received a rave reception thus far.
“We have had a really excellent response,” Castleman said, “and we plan on selling a lot of salmon.”
Castleman returns every week because she enjoys the casual, street-corner atmosphere not found in supermarkets, and has high hopes of further networking her business.
“I like the small community feeling, and I like the small market,” Castleman said. “Once you get to know the community, you find customers returning week after week.”
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