West Side Farmers Market
holds annual Pumpkin Patch Bash
Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
As summer draws to a close, large, orange gourds are being plucked from gnarly vines and made available for doorsteps across the land to celebrate fall and Halloween. Consider picking one up from the West Side Farmers Market during its fourth annual Pumpkin Patch Bash fundraiser, held noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, outside of Backstory Coffee Roasters, 432 Wabasha St. S. All proceeds support the market, and the free event will feature a slew of family-friendly activities, such as pumpkin bowling and pumpkin painting, a bounce house, foods from market vendors, coffee and cider, and more. Wabasha Brewing, located across the street, will also host two food trucks, games and activities during the event, and live music from 2-7 p.m.
For those unaware, the petite but powerful West Side Farmers Market operates Saturdays 9 a.m.-noon, June through October, in the parking lot of Icy Cup, 63 George St. W. Officially founded in 2011, it was entirely volunteer-run until obtaining nonprofit status in 2020. Last year, its longtime leader and executive director stepped down and the fate of the market was in flux until produce vendor and then-board president Laura Fredrickson-Gosewisch decided to take on the role.
“We were faced with asking questions about shutting down the market,” said Fredrickson-Gosewisch. “We didn’t know who would take over, but vending at the market through the pandemic we all saw how important the market was to people…. To be able to fundraise, receive grants and be recognized as a nonprofit allows us to have staff that are paid and valued. Not everybody really understands that there’s this whole web of costs and duties to put the market up.”
Although she had been a vendor there since 2016, she was taken aback when she learned of the number of duties required of the executive director. This year she was able to hire two co-managers to assist with tasks such as community outreach and managing vendors. Next year, she hopes to bring on two more people to help organize volunteers and work with musicians and other performers. She made a point to recognize the interns they work with through St. Paul Public School’s Right Track program, specifically Sophia Wright who has helped run kids’ activities for two years and was named one of Right Track’s Supervisors of the Year in 2023.
Nestled about halfway up the bluff separating the West Side Flats from West St. Paul, the market can house about 12 vendor tents at a time, and there’s live music nearly every weekend. Earlier this year, BankCherokee donated six tents, which the market rents out to vendors for a small fee. This year the market has seen on average 150 people each week, which is a slight rise from last year but still about half what it was before the pandemic. The decrease can be partly attributed to the fact that it operates at the same time as larger markets in the area, and people have been “pulled in so many directions” in recent years, said Fredrickson-Gosewisch.
Last year was especially tough financially for the market, but this year the bump in attendance, vendors, various partnerships, and grants have been enough to revive its coffers to a healthy level.
“The community has come together around us, just like I hoped,” said Fredrickson-Gosewisch.
Vendors at this market may not offer as much as those found at larger ones such as in downtown St. Paul, but they have their unique charm, nonetheless. Some are in the startup stage of their business and others are simply testing the waters to see if selling at markets is right for them. Products commonly include produce, bread, honey, hot sauce, clothes, jewelry, and more. One goal is to add more produce vendors, as only three are reliably there each week.
Fredrickson-Gosewisch, a New Hope-native and St. Paul resident of 11 years, was a vendor through 2022 and may get back to it in the coming years. She operates Vital Ground Farms, where she grows produce in her backyard and on rented farm space. She sells cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, onions, sunflowers, herbs and more.
Since the market obtained nonprofit status, the staff has been seeking grants to help cover operating costs. They recently submitted one to the Mississippi Market Positive Change Program for help in continuing its Power of Produce (POP) program, which provides kids ages 4-12 with $2 per week to spend on fruit or vegetables at the market. Although POP is a national program, it comes with no funding so the market has been paying the costs out of pocket. The market also accepts SNAP/EBT, Market Bucks and Seniors/WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers.
Two years ago, in an effort to serve lower income people and folks who don’t have land to grow their own food, the West Side Farmers Market, Capital View Communal Garden on Smith Avenue, Youth Farms and several other groups and individuals partnered to form a coalition dubbed Growing Resilience on the West Side (GROWS). As part of the coalition, the market donates its excess produce each week to a free farm stand which is set up Wednesdays at Beautiful Laundrette, and Sundays 4-6 p.m. at Parque Castillo. Additionally, the market is part of the Metro Food Justice Network, which helps groups increase racial equity in the food system through networking and other efforts.
For more information on the West Side Farmers Market, visit westsidefarmers
market.net.