Patrons of Bloomington’s Farmers’ Market enjoy live music while perusing fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods, arts and crafts, and plants. Photo by Jeff Bricker.

Celebrating their 19th season, the Downtown Bloomington Farmers’ Market officially opened the outdoor season on Saturday, May 2nd. With an abundance of sunshine and a crowd of several thousand, the first Saturday of the season was a definite success. But it wasn’t just the weather or the first day of the season that brought out so many enthusiastic customers.

The Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market has experienced substantial growth in participating vendors and customers over the past several years. The desire for locally produced and organic products is a driving factor.

“It’s become a movement, not just a trend anymore.” notes Marisa Brooks, Marketing Director for the Downtown Bloomington Association. “People are taking more interest in where the food comes from, how it grows, and who’s responsible for that food.”

Katie Bishop, co-owner of PrairiErth Farms, agrees that healthy food is not just what you eat but who and how your food is grown. “Most of our customers want to know who is growing their food.”

This growing demand for local products and accountability has benefited many local businesses and the local economy. According to Brooks, businesses located in downtown Bloomington are beneficiaries of the Market. “We’re bringing anywhere from three thousand or more people to their doorstep. Many customers will enter the market and then continue to see what else is going on in downtown Bloomington.”

For the folks at PrairiErth Farms, participating in the Market over the past six years has been a catalyst to substantial growth. The farm is located in Atlanta, Illinois and Bishop notes that her business has grown from one and half full time owners to two full time owners plus eight additional employees.

“We grow every year … we started on a quarter of an acre and now we have ten.”

Bishop has also observed an expanding palette in her customers. “People’s interest in non- traditional food has grown. So before it was a lot of tomatoes, radishes … now people are super interested in these Japanese turnips that I have.” To encourage customers to continue to try new foods, recipes are available on her website and blog. Bishop is the author of cookbook and she makes sure to have enough staff on hand at the market to engage customers in a dialogue about the best ways to prepare and cook her produce.

“We know at least fifty percent of our customers by name … that relationship works for us both. It keeps us motivated and excited.”

Even if one was not looking for fresh, local produce, the Downtown Bloomington Farmers’ Market still has a lot to offer. With a festival like feel, on any given Saturday morning you are likely to find fresh bread, live music, and arts and crafts, along with many other local attractions.

“Not a lot of people know that we have music here every Saturday. That adds to the vibe and ambiance. There’s more than just food … there’s plants so you can grow your own. There’s art so you can buy paintings, jewelry, sculptures and other things to decorate your outside or your inside at home … you can even come on down and grab your breakfast at the market,” says Brooks.

A full schedule of vendors, musicians, and community participants can be found at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market can be found at their website: www.downtownbloomington.org.