This season at Cartwright Farmers Market is the biggest thus far. Market Manager Trisha Wilder said since 2019, new vendors have been steadily added and they accepted 42 vendor applications this year. In addition to increased vendors, the number of customers has grown, with a record of 434 in one day in 2024.

Wilder believes 2025 will be the best year for Cartwright. There has been an increased number of volunteers, more new vendors and numerous new ideas in the works.

“We have more [vendors] pending,” she said. “Not all vendors attend at the same time. Some only come either Wednesdays or Saturdays, some will come both but not until their produce comes in, and some only attend occasionally. This [42] count does not include our guest vendors at our monthly craft fairs. This means that there will be a different mix of vendors at most markets.”

One of the new vendors is Terra Nova Coffee, an iced coffee made with oat milk and maple syrup. Owners Daniel Valencia and Julian Ramirez said they developed the beverage and decided to bring it to Cartwright. Saturday marked the second day Terra Nova was at the farmers market.

“So far, it’s been super cool,” Valencia said. “We give samples to people to try and so far, they’ve been very positive.”

Wilder believes word of mouth has been the best advertisement to attract new vendors, as many joined after speaking with a current vendor or customer.

“Some vendors come to visit us and ask to sign up on the spot,” she said. “For example, we received multiple new requests at the end of our Memorial Day Craft Show this past Saturday.”

According to Wilder, they are expecting a new food truck on Saturdays in the next few weeks. However, she added it is a brand new business, so she could not release additional details yet. Saturday will not be the only day when a food truck is present. Familiar Marshalltown food truck Clare’s Tenderloins will be at Cartwright on Wednesdays.

A new non-food vendor is Machine Cult 3D, which offers 3D-printed toys and gadgets. Machine Cult joined Cartwright during the indoor winter market season and will be present on Saturdays.

“We have several new vendors starting that have not decided on attendance at this time,” Wilder said. “Some products include art, jewelry, personal care items and produce. We are still receiving and accepting requests to join.”

Another new vendor at the Saturday Memorial Day Craft Show was Violet Delights Book Boutique. Owner Paris Reimann started the online book business to share her love of reading. One of the products Reimann focuses on is Blind Date with a Book. A book is wrapped to hide its title and cover and the genre is identified on the wrapping. Violet Delights offers six different genres for the Blind Dates – fantasy, romantasy, spicy romance, dark romance and poetry.

“The book is a surprise based on the book genre,” she said. “The [wrapping] design is based on the book cover. It’s to help people get out of reading slumps. The Blind Dates have attracted the most attention.”

Additional monthly craft fair dates are June 28, July 26, Aug. 30 and Sept. 20. Wilder said craft shows are focused around handmade goods, local vendors and vendor-produced goods. For July 26, there are tentative plans for additional activities at the Cartwright craft show, including music and food trucks. However, Wilder said the details have not been finalized yet.

Another new aspect at Cartwright is a line of reusable shopping bags, printed by In Stitches, which customers can purchase at the market.

Expected growth

Wilder said almost all of the established vendors have done very well and have developed customer followings. Some returning vendors include Lim’s Cookies & Candies, Long-Crow Sweet Corn, Lizarde Family Produce, Linda’s Produce, Dusty Hill Farm, Dolezal Honey Bees, The Bunny Farm, MG Fabrications, Janet’s Breads and Wilder Bakery.

“We have a vendor returning this year that has not attended for a couple years but was a customer favorite,” she said. “LimeStone Station sells lard soaps, pet treats made from chicken or duck, eggs, beer breads and other miscellaneous items. They also sell chicken meat by preorder.”

Wilder said customers can stop by on both market days to place a LimeStone Station order for pick up or delivery.

She stressed there is no need for customers to worry about having cash on hand, as there is a token system. Cartwright accepts debit cards, all major credit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Touch Pay, but many of the vendors do not have card reader systems. To solve that problem, a card reader is available at the Information Booth, which allows customers to purchase tokens to be spent as cash. Cartwright also has a token system for SNAP attached to the Double Up Food Bucks program, and many of the vendors accept WIC and senior vouchers from the Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

There is also a Wednesday Kid’s Zone. A children’s area is set up in the grass with games, miscellaneous activities, small crafts and toys.

Wilder said they are open to more activities this season, and could serve as a host of events.

“This is the purpose of a community farmers market – to bring our community together,” Wilder said. “We are open to ideas and we would love to work with organizations that benefit our community.”

Wilder added that volunteers are necessary to make new market ideas a reality. She said they are included in the Silver Cord Program at Marshalltown High School for students seeking community service hours. Wilder said they are interested in working with similar programs.

The increased community interest in Cartwright is a pleasant relief from the hardship during the last few years. Wilder said it was tricky with the State Street road work, which began in March 2023 and ended in October. However, she believes the entire downtown area will only continue to improve.

“We are excited to be a part of that,” Wilder said. “This year we hope to explore and grow more activities. We would love input from the community for new ideas as well. We believe we will continue to grow.”

The final day for Cartwright is scheduled for Oct. 29, weather permitting.

MARKET INFORMATION:

Name: Cartwright Farmers Market

Address: 108 N. Second Ave.

Days: Wednesdays and Saturdays until Oct. 29

Hours: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays; 9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays. Depending on weather and customer attendance, the market might close sooner starting in September.

Website: cartwrightmarket.org

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.