LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Since the start of May, a few white tents have sprouted in the Fayette Mall parking lot. That’s because the Lexington Growers Market has opened up, providing a new farmers market location on the south side of town.
“I want to bring the community to the farmer and the farmer to the community,” said Joe Isaman, who runs Papaw Joe’s Microgreens.
Isaman was originally offered a spot in the mall, just for his microgreen stand. He couldn’t make the logistics work inside, but a second offer to take up parking spaces gave him a better spot and included more publicity.
“This is a perfect location for people who live on this end of town who don’t go downtown,” he said.
Once he saw the space, he decided he had room to invite other farmers and turn the spot into a market.
“I'm a person that's all about spreading the love,” Isaman said. “If I have something to share with other people, I'm more than happy to share it.”
This fresh location in such a busy area provides a great opportunity for new vendors like Jessica Lynn, who runs Fika Acres Farm.
“I really just a year ago decided to give the flowers a shot,” Lynn said. “As someone that’s new to farming, I felt like this was my opportunity to be able to place myself in the Lexington market, where perhaps other markets might be a little harder for newer farmers to get into.”
Throughout the summer, Isaman hopes more vendors will join the Lexington Growers Market to better promote Kentucky produce.
“I want the Kentucky farmer to do well because Kentucky needs to take care of Kentucky,” Isaman said. “Everybody likes peaches. I’d rather you have a Kentucky peach than a Georgia peach. Everybody likes apples. I’d rather you have a Kentucky apple than a Washington apple.”
The Lexington Growers Market is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The market is open for more vendors to join throughout the summer.
