The Brookings Farmers Market isn’t new – it’s been going on since spring 1997. But during the winter months the Farmers Market has always went on hiatus until the warmer spring weather.
That all changes today (Nov. 21) as Downtown Brookings debuts the first-ever WinterMarket.
For these colder months, the market will be at the Brookings Activity Center, 320 Fifth Ave., right next to the Children’s Museum of South Dakota. The Winters Market will be open every first Saturday and every third Thursday of the month starting today (Nov. 21).
Kirsten Gjesdal, executive director of Downtown Brookings and owner of The Carrot Seed Kitchen Co., said she is excited about this Winter Market season.
Gjesdal said the move to expand the Farmers Market year-round will allow vendors to continuously sell.
“The market has grown significantly and the Farmers Market has a lot more than just farmers,” Gjesdal said. “It has people baking bread, making candles, selling meat, and even some of the vegetable vendors are able to grow year-round because they grow indoors. So, we’ve been missing out on this opportunity not having this opportunity year-round.”
One vendor is even planning to sell fresh strawberries in January, which is not something anyone expects to see in Brookings, Gjesdal said.
Over the spring and summer months this year the Farmers Market featured over 90 vendors from all over the area. Now, the small businesses that can make it to Brookings are happy about the opportunity to sell their goods over the winter months. So far, over 32 vendors have applied to be included in this new marketing season, Gjesdal said.
Market organizers also are happy that the city’s Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department allowed access to the Brookings Activity Center downtown.
Some vendors plan to sell stored crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and winter squash as long as their supplies last. Others plan on selling their homemade goods such as candles, knitted pieces and wood carvings.
Kiley Rath, a Brookings vendor, said she is excited about the support from the community.
“I am very much looking forward to a winter season,” she said. “I make handcrafted candles and body care products, which are actually a little easier to sell indoors when it’s cooler outside. It’s a little tricky to keep those things cool in the hot summer months, but I make it work.”
Another vendor, Kyle Haroldson, has even started preparations for next year’s Winter Market.
“We also plan to offer various processed products from our crops such as salsas and sauces,” Haroldson said. “Next year we will be able to plan our production and invest in heating more greenhouses to offer a wider assortment of crops that carry later into the winter farmers market months.”
