The benefits of Farmers Markets go way beyond getting a few fresh veggies and crafty gifts from your neighbor – Farmers Markets are PROVEN to increase local revenue by 60%, increase food security and social connections and decrease heart disease, obesity and hunger. (farmersmarketcoalition.org)
The Holistic Homestead started as a roadside herb stand in 2013, founded the Community Food Share and the Gilpin County Farmers Market in 2018, and in 2023 we are gearing up to have our best season yet!
Farmers Markets take a whole community to put on. From live music, to face painters, local vendors and support from local businesses and newspapers – and finally to the community members who come out to shop – every one of those dynamic elements are what makes Farmers Markets unique, vibrant, and engaging.
But how to put on a Farmers Market in the first place?
Our BEST LOCATION YET!
The Gilpin County Farmers Market started as an informal invitation to a few other vendors to sell baked goods, pottery, and honey at our bi-weekly Community Food Share pick ups. We changed venues several times – sometimes in a professional conference room, the break room at the office (really!), in the parking lot at the office….then we tried setting up next to the Community Gardens (not much visibility), the County Fairgrounds (too windy!) and finally inside the Community Center (great for Farmers Markets in the winter until we opened our brick-and-mortar year-round indoor-outdoor Market in 2020)! We even held a few outdoors farmers markets during the pandemic.
FINALLY we’ve found our forever home on the wide sidewalk right in front of the main entrance to the Gilpin Community Center.
Thank you SPONSORS!
It takes an enormous amount of effort to organize a Farmers Market – and that means investing in advertising, facility and equipment rental, paying entertainers, and (hopefully!) hiring paid staff. THANK YOU to our Sponsors who have made this season possible! CLICK HERE to become an official Sponsor of the Gilpin County Farmers Market!
Our sponsors make it possible to keep going, but we still need considerable support to truly make 2023 the BEST FARMERS MARKET SEASON YET!
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DIRECT, ONE-TIME, TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO HELP SAVE THE GILPIN COUNTY FARMERS MARKET!
Our bare bones budget for (mostly digital) advertising, solo musicians, and entertainers – and no paid staff – all 100% volunteer powered – is still $4,655 short of what we need to put on the Farmers Market for one whole season! Every small donation gets us closer to our goal of not losing money on this critically important community event, that we hope to keep going and growing for years to come.
We are asking YOU, right now, to make a direct financial contribution to help us make this a successful season for our vendors, musicians, entertainers, and most importantly our community!
Now consider what it takes to put on a really vibrant, hopping Farmers Market – full bands, paid staff, print advertising, and we would be spending about $3-5,000 per market. Trust me – I’m writing grants, looking for foundations, private-public partnerships, and in-kind donations of every kind to get there. And, trust me, TOGETHER we will get there!
What do Farmers Markets mean to you? How has your community benefitted from having a Farmers Market? Tell us about it in the comments below!
