News

Discovery

The ‘vibrant’ Fairmount Farmers Market is the newest addition to the town’s bustling food scene

June 25, 2024

Fairmount, a charming town located on the south end of Grant County, has recently emerged as one of East Central Indiana’s top outposts for fine food and drink. Most notably, the renovation of a former farming equipment dealership complex has made way for Bad Dad Brewing Co., a local brewery and pizza parlor, and Grains & Grill, a rustic setting for quality dining — each of which draw visitors from across the region.

The epicenter of Fairmount’s food scene is now home to another venture, the Fairmount Farmers Market. On the first Saturday morning from May to October, vendors fill the shared parking lot of Bad Dad and Grains & Grill to provide a lively small-town shopping experience.

The newly formed market, which was first organized in 2023, has already garnered a great deal of local attention for its wide assortment of offerings. Anywhere from 40 to 50 vendors set up shop on a given Saturday, selling traditional farmers market offerings — like fresh produce, eggs, and bread — as well as delightful food creations and handmade consumer goods — such as charcuterie boards, pottery, and home decor. 

The market’s thoughtfully curated range of offerings is also sure to please the entire family, as a face-painting station and an animal petting farm are mainstays at the event.

“The Fairmount Farmers Market provides a place for quality vendors to sell their goods, while creating a free, fun, and family friendly environment for people to shop, eat, and spend time with family and friends,” said Sarah Howard, the market’s organizer.

Howard said the vision to establish a community farmers market in Fairmount has been at the forefront of her and her husband’s minds for some time, making the 2023 opening of the market the fulfillment of a long-standing goal.

“Any time my husband and I would travel, we would check out the farmers markets in really cool cities and thought how cool would it be to have something like this in our small town,” Howard said.

Not only did she and her husband, Patrick, draw inspiration from other farmers markets across the country, but the project was also a natural result of their longtime interest in gardening.

“My husband and I started a small urban garden over four years ago in Muncie,” Howard said. “We moved to a home in Fairmount in 2022 with more land, and this passion has quickly turned into a 75 x 50 foot garden, close to 30 chickens, planting an orchard, a roadside farmstand and more plans for the future! So naturally, a farmers market sounded like a great idea.”

Now that the couple’s dream has come to life, Howard sees the Fairmount Farmers Market as a valuable asset for both the community members and local businesses who mutually benefit from it. She highlighted her two-pronged goal of bringing an energetic and “vibrant” scene to her town and “building bridges between local farmers, homesteaders, bakers, crafters and conscious consumers.”

“When you shop at a farmers market, consumers are able to have face-to-face conversations with local business owners and entrepreneurs,” Howard said. “I believe this strengthens the community network. I’m a big advocate for supporting local businesses and helping the community have access to fresh local produce and goods.”

Visit the Fairmount Farmers Market’s Facebook page for up-to-date information on vendors and schedules.

More Farmers Markets in East Central Indiana