The Birmingham Farmers Market season finally came to an end on October 29. To celebrate the end of the season, they threw a Halloween-themed celebration! Each vendor was handing out candy for kids who were trick or treating, while still selling their produce and products. Some of them were even wearing costumes to further get into the Halloween spirit.
The market is hosted in a parking lot off of North Old Woodward Avenue, and some walking is required to get there due to the busyness in the heart of Birmingham. The overall atmosphere of the market is very comfortable and leisurely. It isn’t overwhelmingly loud, conversation between customers and vendors alike contributes to the small town market feeling and there surprisingly isn’t a lot of noise pollution from the road nearby. The smell of the food trucks wafts lightly through the air, and grows stronger when they’re approached. Otherwise, the fall air is refreshing and sometimes infiltrated by the smell of freshly baked goods. The vendors are dispersed nicely, there’s not an immense amount of them and they aren’t packed into the lot. The amount of space between stalls is plentiful, allowing each vendor to have separation from the other sellers.
During the regular events during the season, vendors sell a wide variety of produce and products, ranging from fruits and vegetables to handmade jewelry. A sign in the middle of a major walking intersection displays the types of produce they have in season, organized alphabetically and by month for easy recognition. There’s a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for sale all year round, as well as for specific months, but some are in limited supply. Vendors aren’t specified for each event, but it seems to be consistent each time.
Mia Ciponaper is a vendor that makes jewelry with precious stones as beads, and she has her own business called Mia’s Zen Den. She heard about the market from a longtime customer who was a vendor at the market in previous years. Another influence was another market in a park she saw about 10 years ago.
“I stumbled upon this beautiful market… At the time I was working for my family’s business and I thought, ‘I could do that,’… Over time, I started making jewelry for all my friends and their families, and I’d already been collecting all my crystals and stones for many years, so the next step of growing was actually going to a market and selling my stuff.” Ciponaper said. She started collecting her crystals about 16 years prior to officially starting her business. “From working at my uncle’s bead store, I was able to travel the country and go to all these amazing places and slowly collect crystals over time…” Ciponaper said. Her store opened November 1 in Clinton Township; she sells necklaces and bracelets in addition to a variety of raw and polished stones in many different shapes and sizes.
The Birmingham Farmer’s Market will be starting again next season on May 7 with an opening day celebration. We hope to see you there supporting the wonderful vendors!
