So I did a post a while ago about the Dowagiac Farmers Market, after the first day of being there as a vendor. In this post, I had stated that it had started out pretty slow, and there weren’t many vendors there in the beginning… Today however, it is booming with activity and there are so many vendors that not everyone can put a tent up (some have just a table under a tree)! Because of this, I wanted to do an update on how the Dowagiac Market is now so that I can write something that does it justice!

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The Dowagiac Farmers Market is a small little farmers market in the town of Dowagiac Michigan. We are nestled right next to one of the Museums in town, which means clean bathrooms, electricity (if needed), and we have a lovely train that blasts through town every half hour just a few yards behind where we are set up.

Unlike other markets, the Dowagiac Farmers Market isn’t a place of hustle and bustle where you quickly make a sale and move on to the next customer. Instead, in true small-town fashion, you have to get to know the customers and make friends with them before a sale is ever made. This means that there is a lot of chatting, swapping of life stories, and getting to know the people you are selling to. I’ll admit that this was a very hard thing to adjust to, as I was used to more fast paste markets, but I am loving the people that come through the market and I have made plenty of new friends in the process.

Of course, most of the friends I meet are the vendors themselves! Everyone is super sweet at this market, and before every market day, we all go around and say good morning to one another before the customers come. (This is also a good way to get the first pick from our favorite vendors, such as the bread guy who brings us breakfast, or the lady who sells fruit and always sells out by the end of the day.)

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Meet The Vendors:

Since the vendors are the pride of the Markets, I would like to introduce you to a few of them! Below are just a few pictures of the booths you can expect to see at the Dowagiac Farmers Market!

I would say that for security purposes, I won’t say any names of the people below… However, if I’m being honest, I don’t know anyone’s names from this market… We normally call each other by what we sell. For example, I am one of the crochet ladies on Saturday and the only crochet lady on Wednesday! You also have the bread guy (mentioned above), the rock lady, and so on…

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First up, we have the lovely ‘rock lady’ who sells plants! (Don’t be confused with the name, she has a little shop where she sells her plants full time, along with a LOT of rocks! Hence why she is the ‘rock lady’.) This booth never fails to be there every Wednesday with colorful plants of all sizes, colors, and prices! She was one of the first people I met when I started doing this market, and she always has a way of making everyone feel welcomed and happy.

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Second, we have ‘the bread guy’! This guy only shows up on Wednesdays, and his wife gets up at about three in the morning to make all of these goodies! They sell them out of their house as well, but we love to see them at the market! When the bread guy is there, we all get a good breakfast for the morning! He normally has big loaves of bread, cookies, scones, special things for holidays, etc.. His stuff is honestly so good that we practically attack him as soon as he pulls up, so that we get the first pick of his wife’s baked goods!

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One of the newer booths that just came back to the market this year is a Military Vet who does fun paracord things in his spare time. In this picture, you can see the keychains he makes (left), as well as the water bottle handles (middle), and the American Flag boards (back right). This guy has so many stories and jokes to tell if you’ve got the time to sit and chat with him, and he sits there and makes his paracord stuff while he’s talking to you (which just makes you want to stand there for longer so that you can watch him).

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One of my all-time FAVORITE booths to visit (when they are around) is the goat caramel lady! She has sweet and adorable goats that she takes the milk from and makes all sorts of goodies with! This includes her frozen caramel treats and her smooth and delicious caramel sauces that I can’t get enough of! She also sells handmade candles every once in a while, and she has seasonal goodies that she adds accordingly throughout the year. It’s sad that she only comes on Saturday, however, it’s probably a good thing for my wallet that she only comes once a week!

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Next up is a new crafter here at the market who designs cups and coasters to sell at the farmers market. I have to hand it to her, I certainly wouldn’t be able to do what she does here. These are just the cutest cups I’ve ever seen and they are perfect for July here in America! The cup lady also sells plenty of other stuff such as water bottles and jewelry, but these cups are just darling! The ladies that sell these cups are also super sweet and I have spent plenty of days just chatting away with them. 🙂

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And last, but certainly not least, we have the ‘other crochet lady’ (at least on Saturdays). She does scrubbies, bags, and adorable stuffed animals and crochet monsters! Despite what a lot of people think, we aren’t enemies just because we both crochet. She truly crochets a lot of cute and creative stuff, and I certainly don’t mind sending the kids down to her booth to check out her monsters and mushrooms! She is also one of the sweetest ladies around, and her kids are so adorable to watch when she has them with her for the day!

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So that’s the Dowagiac Farmers Market! We are constantly getting new vendors all the time, and it’s a first come first serve with spots on the lawn.

If you are ever in Michigan in the summertime, be sure to stop over and check out this amazing market! We are here Wednesdays and Sundays from 9am-2pm, and we love to see new people coming there to check out the market!

If you are interested in becoming a vendor, or you just want to see more people who are in the market and what they sell, click here! Signing up is super easy, and it only costs $10 for a booth! We also love to watch the farmers markets grow and we are always welcoming to new vendors!

That’s all for today! As always my lovely readers, Smile, have an amazing day, and visit some farmers markets!