COTTAGE GROVE – During a sunny Saturday morning in the heart of downtown Cottage Grove, one might be likely to see kids frolicking under the warm rays and community members unloading their cars to set up booths for the farmers market on 7th and Main Street.
Another South Valley Farmers Market season is approaching starting this Saturday. Tassia Fahsbender, market manager, said she expects to see continued growth in market activity this year.
“This is a really direct way for me to work toward increasing food access for our community and to support small businesses simultaneously,” said Fahsbender, who is embarking on her fourth season at the market.
SVFM started in 2016. “When our market was established, it was originally on a Thursday evening, and it was put there (on 7th Street) to coincide with the Bread Club that used to happen at Kalapuya Books. I think that was the original decision for that space,” Fahsbender said. “But, I think that as we’ve grown it’s actually proven to be the ideal space for a market.”
The market, sandwiched between PC Garage and the Axe & Fiddle, has easy access to the park space that is adjacent to 7th Street. SVFM utilizes this space for a children’s program called Sprouts, with bilingual storytime, crafts, and produce tasting for kids at every market.
They offer free vouchers to the kids who participate. Fahsbender also said the bell tower hosts the music program, where local musicians perform live music.
The market provides a $20 SNAP match program with Double Up Food Bucks that allows shoppers to double the amount of SNAP dollars they have for fresh produce and plants.
Customers can run their EBT/SNAP card at the info booth at the market and receive an additional $20 in Double Up Food Bucks to spend on fresh fruits, vegetables, and plant starts to grow food.
“We’ve grown a lot over the last few years,” Fahsbender said. “We’re working to bring more people downtown to also support the brick-and-mortar businesses that are our neighbors.
“We expect to see continued growth at SVFM this year. We have many new vendors joining us this season including farmers, ranchers, bakers, and a fishery. Our community relies on the market as a source of fresh, local, affordable food, and the rising cost of store-bought groceries is leading to an increase in demand for local produce, meat, and eggs at the market.”
SVFM has not been directly impacted by federal funding cuts. Many of the programs offered at the market are paid via grants from family foundations and local organizations. According to Fahsbender, the SNAP match program is fully funded through at least 2026.
Looking on the Sunnyside
Samuel Bidwell starts his market mornings at 8 a.m., blocking off the street with barriers and setting up plants for his booth. “It’s a really nice atmosphere to just hang out and chat with folks while you’re selling stuff,” Bidwell said.
Bidwell moved to Oregon from Ohio in 2012 to get involved in the agriculture industry in Cottage Grove. “I wanted to change careers,” he said. “I really wasn’t sure what that would look like, but I came out here … and I really kind of fell in love with greenhouse growing; ornamentals, and then produce later.”
He got his start at the market in 2017, founding Sunnyside Sam’s nursery. “Things had already kind of been established a little bit, but man, it’s really grown since I started,” he said.
“Before we moved to Saturdays, we were kind of on a Thursday thing to try to not compete with other markets on Saturdays. There were some markets where I made 20, 30 bucks, which is pretty painful, but we’re talking about the hot, hot summer when everybody’s away camping, and it’s usually pretty slow anyway.”
Fahsbender said, “I’ve kind of taken a multi-pronged approach to building the market, and it’s been really successful.
“I identified that, one, we could build more community support by offering more food equity programs at the market,” she said. “And two, that we could run these additional programs like the Sprouts at the Market and the Music at the Market, to draw more people to the market who would then be able to access those programs. And all of that, in turn, goes to building the farmers and producers that can come.”
Moving to Saturdays and an increase in interest has snowballed. “Our crowd counts have increased over 300% in the last two years,” Fahsbender said. “And our vendor counts have gone up more than 100%. Last year we had 115 vendors across the whole year.”
Bidwell felt the effects of this, saying, “My busiest day last year I probably moved $1,200 worth of product through my booth, which was co-selling with people. It’s definitely a large amount of money that I can use to supplement my income. It’s really pretty impressive.”
A starting point
South Valley Farmers Market is favorable for companies just getting started. Fahsbender said small businesses use the market as a startup or innovation space. They get a chance to trial their products and get the proper licensing they need.
“It’s a business incubator, is how I think of the market,” agreed Bidwell. “It’s so important to have a place for people to be able to affordably test the waters on something new and get feedback from the general public,” he said. “Having the exposure to potential customers is really important.
“The Farmers Market was nice because I was able to really get to know a lot of people in the community, and not just (the folks) who are buying my product, but also fellow entrepreneurs at a similar stage and development for their business. It was a good support network that way too. You get to know like-minded people.”
There is variety in foods – and vendors. According to Fahsbender, a typical day has around 30 vendors selling artisanal crafts. Bidwell’s booth offers vegetable starts, flower baskets, perennials, natives, various produce, and herbs, including his best seller – basil. Depending on the day, other vendor products might include handcrafted jewelry, leatherwork, wood carvings, candles, clothing, and art of all kinds.
“I’ve found a lot of good people and support in my community through the market,” Bidwell said.
“It’s been effective in supporting our vendors better and supporting our community in turn,” Fahsbender said.
Market hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Saturday morning starting through October. Markets are scheduled for November and December at the Cottage Grove Armory.
This reporting is supported by the Catalyst Journalism Project at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.
