The Geneseo farmers’ market is a community staple
If you’ve ever found yourself moseying along Main Street on a Thursday afternoon, you’ve probably heard bustling activity along one of the side streets—music, chatter, and laughter. The source of this merry noise is more than likely the Geneseo Farmers’ market, an essential activity for the community throughout the warmer months. When businesses line up along Center Street during these sacred Thursday afternoons, they include the likes of Merle’s Fresh Produce, Burley Berries, Dave’s Natural Raw Honey, Randall farms, the Geneseo E-Garden, and Sweet Arts Bakery. The Lamron spoke with junior sociomedical sciences major Jillian Orr about her experience working for Sweet Arts and engaging with the community through her work.
“I love being able to interact with both students and year-round community members who all appreciate Sweet Arts as a Geneseo staple,” she said. “I see business owners, pastors, firefighters, and everyone who makes up Geneseo share a smile over a cinnamon roll and coffee.”
Sweet Arts Bakery’s owner is a great example of the closeness of the Geneseo community exemplified through the farmers market. “I meet more people in an afternoon working the stand with Barb than I met my entire first year at Geneseo,” said Orr. And the community engagement does not end with mere business transactions; “she finds out people’s interests and passions and checks up on them whenever they come to the stand. Barb makes a lot of students feel like they are a part of the greater Geneseo community.”
The enthusiastic spirit of the business owner has extended to Orr herself, and likely to other students who man the Sweet Arts stand: “I [love] getting to memorize regulars’ orders,” she said. “Even if I don’t know a person’s first name, knowing their drink order or favorite bagel is a very gratifying experience.” Orr also recommends getting flowers from the farmers market if you are able to stop by before they close up for the season on Oct. 20.
Beyond just community engagement, the direct economic support that the farmers market allows is so unique to this area; small towns like Geneseo rely on small business, and those small businesses rely on students like us. In the age in which nearly every purchase we make goes back to a conglomerate, there is something so special about meeting the person who made your produce and shaking the very hands that put together bottles of fresh maple syrup or carefully picked each and every garlic clove. While it can often feel boring living in an area as small as this, the unique opportunity to ethically source your produce at a reasonable price and directly aid your community is something that should not be taken for granted.
In addition to bolstering the businesses, the farmers market also puts on live music with outdoor seating, along with an area to play cornhole. Whether you roam the market to browse for your next meal or just want to sit and listen to music, you are bound to run into someone you know, or perhaps you’ll even meet someone new, exchanging kind words and all the while partaking in one of the most genuine forms of community engagement. Be sure to get out to the farmers market before it closes in a couple weeks—it’s located right near the fountain on Center Street, open on Thursdays between 3:00 - 6:30 p.m.