T-R PHOTO BY SUSANNA MEYER Trisha Wilder, the manager of the Cartwright Farmers Market, poses behind her display of baked goods. Wilder has been running it since 2019, and the event on Saturday was the first indoor market she’s organized.

Farmers markets are often reserved for the summer months, but Trisha Wilder, the manager of the Cartwright Farmers Market, didn’t see why an event with so many benefits for local artisans and farmers couldn’t be held in the winter months as well.

Wilder held the first ever Cartwright Indoor Farmers Market event on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Riverview Park community building. This event hosted four different vendors, including Wilder herself, each providing a unique mix of products and a friendly smile for anyone who stopped by. Even though the cold weather made summer products like produce impossible, other products without seasonal restrictions were available.

Amelia Ward, one of the vendors, displayed a myriad of artistically made products on her table, ranging from knitted hats and wine cozies to bracelets and earrings. Ward attended the Cartwright Farmers Market as a vendor for the first time last summer and really enjoyed the experience, so when Wilder reached out about this event, Ward was more than happy to attend.

“I love to create things, and I have so much and very little place to store it. So I thought I’d share it,” Ward said. “I love the joy it brings to people.”

Another vendor offering homegrown items was Jeff Mayer, the owner of a local farm. Mayer’s table displayed farm fresh eggs, dog chews and homemade soap in a variety of scents. They also sold cuts of chicken and duck meat that were raised on their farm. Mayer said this is his third year attending, and business gets better every year.

“We’re hit and miss on certain days, because we have a little bit of a different product than a lot of people that you’re used to seeing at the farmer’s market. So, with our whole chickens and things like that, it’s not always what you see at the market,” Mayer said. “It’s been getting better since we started, every year, because we have returning customers.”

Other unique items included his soap and dog chews. Mayer said they learned how to make soap when they had 80 pounds of leftover lard that they didn’t want to waste. The dog chews were invented in a similar way.

“The dog chews are our newest thing that we’re sort of adding to. Since we take the time to raise the birds the best that we can, we don’t want to see any waste,” Mayer said.

The dog chews were made from byproducts that otherwise might go in the trash after processing, such as pig ears and chicken’s feet.

On the subject of canines, Kristina Coltrain, and her son Jacksyn had a table stocked with gourmet dog treats. This was their first time attending the farmer’s market, and she said the people had been very friendly. Kristina said they started baking dog treats in the fall.

“I love baking and I love dogs, so it’s a good combination for me,” she said.

While Wilder organized the event, she also had a table set up with bread loaves of all different flavors available for purchase. Wilder actually started as a vendor back in 2018 before she took over management of the Cartwright Farmers Market in 2019 after the previous managers retired.

According to Wilder, the market has grown exponentially since she took over. In the beginning of her first summer season, they had few vendors and low attendance with only six or seven returning vendors. By the end, Wilder said both returning vendors and attendance had doubled.

“When I first took over, (the market) was kind of, I don’t want to say dying, but it was (on the decline),” Wilder said. “I was able to bring it back really strong by the end of that first season.”

Wilder said even after COVID hit in her second season as manager, they managed to grow a bit more in that season with various safety precautions in place. Finally, in 2021, Wilder estimated about 40 vendors attending throughout the summer season. The summer season lasts from May to October.

As the next step in growth for the Cartwright Farmers Market, Wilder hopes they can secure consistent indoor winter markets like the one on Saturday.

While there weren’t many vendors ready for the market on Saturday, Wilder believes more of them will come for the next event on Jan. 22. Attendance was relatively low the first time around, but as the markets become more regular, more foot traffic is anticipated.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611

or smeyer@timesrepublican.com.