'A sense of connection' at the Farmers Market - Petaluma Argus Courier

This is the first in a series profiling vendors at Petaluma’s farmers markets, from the growers and sellers of produce to craftspeople and other artists.

Kelly Smith, manager of the Petaluma Farmers Market, laughingly refers to herself as the Market Mom.

Smith is one busy person these days. There’s the year-round Tuesday morning market at the Petaluma Community Center, 320 N. McDowell Blvd., from 10 a.m-1:30 p.m. in addition to the Saturday afternoon market in Walnut Park, Fourth and D streets, running through Nov. 19. Hours are 2-5 p.m.

And – stop the presses and mark your calendars – the former downtown Wednesday night market has a new day, and a new location. The popular family evening event will now take place from 3-7 p.m. Thursdays, July through September, at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds.

Petaluma’s farmers markets are part of Agricultural Community Events Farmers Markets, which operates 10 farmers markets in Marin and Sonoma counties. The markets accept CalFresh (also known as food stamps), Smith said, and through a collaboration with Petaluma Bounty, offer Market Match, a $1 for $1 match (up to $10) for CalFresh customers.

Smith talked about the growth of the Tuesday market over the past decade: moving from location to location until, she said, two things happened. One was the Petaluma Foodies Facebook page, where locals who appreciate quality food can share their discoveries. It now has more than 7,000 members.

The other, surprisingly, was the pandemic.

“When COVID happened,” Smith said, “I saw we might get shut down so I started doing curbside ordering.” But then the State of California declared that farmers markets, like grocery stores, were essential. At that point, the weekly market had moved to the front parking lot of the community center, where it was more visible. Smith credits City Manager Peggy Flynn for “seeing what the community needs” and negotiating to keep the market in that location.

The market, of course, is an outdoor event, a place where people can at least see others and talk with friends, albeit masked and distanced during the earlier part of the pandemic.

“They came in droves,” Smith said. “Many were shopping for others, and no one minded the lines. It was a hit. The way I describe a hit is when the vendors are so busy they have no time to talk to each other – or complain to me.”

The beauty of a farmers market, Smith has come to appreciate, is its flexibility.

“For vendors, it can be where you want to have your business forever, or it can be a stepping stone to a bigger business, or you can do them simultaneously,” she said. “It’s important for the farmers because they’re getting their products into people’s hands. And it’s important for the community and the vendors because there’s a sense of connection.”

Whether it’s getting a weekly loaf of French bread, indulging in exotic mango chutney, exploring for new items such as French breakfast radishes, looking forward to a What a Chicken lunch or rewarding yourself with a bouquet of fragrant sweet peas, or looking for a gift for a friend or family member, the market is always enjoyable. There’s the pleasure of running into old friends and making new ones, because farmers markets are friendly and sociable. And of course, you’re buying local and supporting farmers.

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