The gentle clanging of cymbals and drums drifted through the farmers market tents, like the people sniffing scents wafting from nearby herbs and soaps.
Wednesday marked the 16th anniversary of the Union Street Farmers Market at Bo Diddley Community Plaza.
Charlie Lybrand, 62, director of the farmers market, said the vendors at the market know more about their products than some grocery store employees.
“There’s a whole feeling of community between the vendors and the customers,” he said. “It’s an experience.”
Lybrand, who is also a beekeeper and sells infused honey, started the first Union Street Farmers Market in 1996 at the Sun Center plaza. Eight vendors and about 12 loyal families attended the market’s inauguration.
He said the market’s growth was slow until about four and half years ago, when it outgrew the Sun Center plaza and moved to the Bo Diddley Community Plaza. Once the market relocated to a more visible location, it took off.
Now, about 55 vendors sell everything from orchids to cheese to jewelry.
Lybrand said he wanted to start a Gainesville market after a county market became too restrictive, only allowing produce and vegetables to be sold. He wanted to open a market to bakers, farmers, artists and musicians.
“There’s a huge amount of talent in this community,” he said. “Sometimes, that’s taken for granted.”
Ashley Helfrich, a 22-year-old UF early childhood education graduate student, was a first-time market-goer. She said she was surprised to find bread, ethnic foods and shaved ice.
“Now that I’ve been here and see what they have, I’ll probably come back next week to do some grocery shopping,” Helfrich said.
Jose Landrua, 23, hopes Helfrich will buy some vegetables from his farm, LaLa Land. He moved from Fort Lauderdale with his brother, Javier, 21, to start an organic farm in Alachua a few months ago.
Landrua said the farmers market gives him another place to sell his produce and support his brother and himself.
“This is where my passion is,” he said.
Contact Shelby Webb at swebb@alligator.org.
Koa Conley, 18 months, waits in line to buy a pint of blueberries from Wellborn Farm Blueberries at the 16th anniversary of the Union Street Farmers Market on Wednesday.
