Every Saturday morning, the Phoenix Open Air Market brings fresh produce, local residents and a variety of different vendors together in the parking lot of the Phoenix Public Market.
But now, every second Saturday of every month at the farmers market incorporates an artisan twist.
Not only is there a wide variety of food vendors, but there are also vendors with jewelry, paintings and culinary lessons available to attendees.
“It’s been a fun addition to our farmers market,” Marketing Manager Sarah Matlin said. “We usually keep it limited to local food owners.”
Matlin said the artisan market decision was made to help open doors to new artists in the Phoenix area and create opportunities.
“We just wanted to find a way to work with community partners,” Matlin said. “We have such a special community.”
While the farmers market will be available to the public every Saturday year around, the Artisan market will end in May and resume again in August.
Matlin said they wanted to keep the Artisan market between fall and spring due to the heat, but customers can always count on produce every Saturday morning.
Celia Petersen, owner and operator of Chile Acres farm, has been a vendor with the Phoenix market since its beginning in 2005.
Petersen sells everything from eggs, cheese and gluten-free products, to goat milk soap, wool and articles of clothing.
Customers can catch her on some weekends with her baby animals and a feeding bottle or having story time with Einstein, her Chihuahua.
She said she likes the market because of the people she has met and the connections she has made with regular customers.
“I really enjoy watching people’s families grow and develop,” Petersen said.
Petersen said she finds having the artisan market gives people time to socialize and learn about art and farming.
Because the market is located in downtown Phoenix, Petersen said they get a wide variety of different visitors.
She enjoys how many people come from the hotels nearby because it gives out of state visitors a chance to learn what Arizona is really about.
“People do not realize what is really going on in this state, they think they are going to come and see a cactus,” Petersen said.
Petersen described the Phoenix Public Market as well-rounded and a place that has stuck to its roots by staying local and only selling food and items that are handmade or homegrown.
“We’re all about integrity,” Petersen said. “Some places have turned into swap meets or street fairs and that is not what we are about.”
The next artisan market is April 13 and will continue on each second Saturday until May.
Contact the reporter at Editomas@asu.edu.
