Do you remember watching shows and movies set in the 19
th century? They often depict an old tradition of ringing a bell to signify the start of school or a church service. Well,
Mission Market, a
From the Land of Kansas farmers' market located in Mission, Kansas, rings an old bell at 4:30 p.m. on Thursdays to signify that festivities are beginning.
Mission Market has been careful to develop an image that targets people who would be interested in their type of market. “The idea is ‘kick off your weekend kind of early, do a little shopping, get out, have fun with your neighbors, friends and family, listen to some music and grab a beer,’” said market coordinator Kate Deacon.
They host varying food trucks and vendors, so the experiences are new each week. Beyond the vendors, they also host bands and musicians to provide an entertainment aspect to their market. “This season we’re trying to have more acoustic sets, a little more chill of a vibe,” said Deacon. This will help ease the market back into the “rowdier” music that Mission Market frequenters are used to. They’ve titled this year’s market, “Turnin’ It Up at the Mission Market.”
Along with the music element, some special events are included in the market’s festivities. “Last summer we did bring your own baby pool night and we filled them up with water and it was really fun,” Deacon said. Some days there is an exercise class at the market and this year Deacon is considering a Zumba night. “We did this to bring in those communities of people who want to get out and get active and then they can pick up some veggies, and maybe a beer, and dinner and head home; that makes for a really fun night.”
Some popular food and art vendors at this market include KC Mustard Company, Salsa Mama, Sacred Earth Arts, Art from Architecture, and Tallen Arts. The market hosts about three art vendors per week. “We do want to keep it focused on homegrown and homemade products that are traditionally farmers’ market items,” she said. They also have meat vendors such as Prairie Center Meats and Booth Creek Wagyu, and bakery vendors such as Loula’s Cakes & Cookies and There’s No Place Like Home Bakery.
The food trucks are a big draw for customers visiting the market. There are also a couple of unique food tents. According to Deacon, one vendor sells gluten-free Malaysian kale wraps and another vendor sells meatballs she makes from her family’s 100-year-old Sicilian recipe. These tents are some of Deacon’s favorite stops on Thursday nights.
Deacon says she has learned a lot through coordinating the Mission Market. “It’s a lot of fun working with the city because we have a lot of room for creativity and how we plan the market,” she said. “It’s been really fun to go out and recruit new vendors and to visit some of their farms; it’s been really eye opening.”
Even so, the struggles of 2020 meant Mission Market had to adapt to many changes. “It began pre-orders only, non-site shopping, and by the middle of the season we opened to on-site shopping,” said Deacon. Mission Market was able to prevail and survive with their simplified market. “We have our hardcore fans that were committed to supporting our vendors and we can’t thank them enough, and we can’t thank our vendors enough for sticking it through and being adaptable."
Deacon believes that markets should embrace who they are and not compare themselves to other markets but build on their own market by listening to feedback from vendors and customers, all while remaining true to a market’s identity. Paraphrasing one of her market’s vendors, Deacon said. “We love your market, it’s like the party market, it’s really laid back and fun and everybody’s in a good mood.”
