The Hillsdale Farmers’ Market attracts all sorts of people, from students and professors and their families, to Hillsdale locals. The market has brought together the community since its beginning in 2009 and continues to do so every Saturday during the summer from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. until the last Saturday in October.
Some vendors have been there almost every week since the market’s beginning in Hillsdale, while others just started selling their homemade goods this year.
Ryan Taylor, a new Hillsdale resident, has expanded the offerings of the market by selling his handmade pottery. Taylor and his wife moved to Hillsdale in May and found that their new home was a great place to house a pottery studio, as he’s been making little cups, vases, and mugs on a wheel since 2008.
“I was studying art education, and I thought making pottery would be easy,” Taylor said, “but I quickly realized that it was more difficult than my chemistry class. It’s not just throwing clay on a wheel.”
In his studio, he has both an electric and non-electric kiln. The Taylors explained that the two types of kilns give the pottery different characteristics. The electric kiln gives a gloss to its pieces while things fired by a non-electric kiln look like they could have been recently excavated. Besides teaching customers little tidbits about his pottery, Taylor offers pottery classes in his home studio to anyone who is interested.
More edible items, like goat cheeses, hybrid vegetables, and pies of every kind, decorated the other tables. Many of the people milling about held some sort of baked good on a stick as they looked for more treats.
Kevin and Melanie Vincent sold an item that caught the attention of possible customers: pretzels, but on a stick. The delicious treat costs only $1 and is convenient to carry while shopping.
This year was also the Vincents’ first year at the Hillsdale County Farmer’s Market. Kevin explained that he had always been interested in participating in a farmers’ market, so this year, they decided to drive down every Saturday from Camden, Mich. While the couple also grows produce, it is more convenient to sell baked goods like pies, cookies, and the pretzel on a stick.
“I do the baking and the work,” Kevin joked, “she does all the selling.”
Because Amish communities are common in the Hillsdale area, a couple of Amish families attend the local market to sell their produce and baked goods. Jams, produce, baked goods, and homemade soaps and lotions all bring the community together under the shadow of city hall Saturday mornings for the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market.
