Fresh start

Farmers markets return to Clinton and Norris

May 14, 2025 by G. Chambers Williams III

The Norris Farmers Market kicked off its new season last Wednesday, and coming next week, the all-new Clinton Farmers Market will hold its first session on Saturday, May 24, in the Anderson County Fairgrounds.

With new organizers, a new location and a new day and time, the reborn Clinton Farmers Market aims to succeed where the previous version struggled to gain momentum.

The East Tennessee FARM group, which had sponsored the Clinton Farmers Market the previous three years – the first year in the city parking lot on Commerce Street and the past two years in Clinton’s Lakefront Park – announced in March that it did not intend to operate the market this year.

But Clinton sheep farmer Matthew Garafalo told The Courier news that he and his partner, Maggie Hanson, have initiated a new Clinton market, although only the first session has been planned yet.

“We hope to have our market once or twice a month, and the city would like for us to have it closer to downtown,” Garafalo said.

“We’re looking at maybe using the city parking lot behind the Daugherty Loft, or the new city lot along [Main Street],” he said.

“We will have artisan goods, baked goods, produce and vegetabes, eggs, beef and lamb, and we hope there’s a vendor bringing pork,” he said.

The Norris market is operating this year on the same day and hours each week as last year – Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. – in the same spot as in previous years, on Norris Square, in front of Norris Middle School.

Norris market coordinator Mindy Wells said at last Wednesday’s first market that she was pleased with the initial turnout, and expects to see more vendors as the growing season gets fully underway.

There were a couple of meat vendors from last year, also with booths selling plants, flowers, sourdough breads, homemade baked goods, jams, jellies, crafts, jewelry, and even eggs, Wells said.

John Fletcher, former owner and operator of Vega Café in Norris, brought a variety of sourdough products to the market, all products of his new endeavor, Buffalo Creek Baking Co.

“If people consider shopping local, there is affordable meat and eggs available,” Wells said earlier. “Things you can source locally are abundant. We have 18 chickens on our farm, and we always have too many eggs. We plan on bringing baked goods and eggs, and blueberries when they’re in season.

“We’re also selling Norris Farmers Market T-shirts to pay for new signs for the market,” she said. “We’re down to two now. They’re $20 each, and all the money goes right back into the market.”

The Norris operation is an open market and does not require registration.

“The rule is that all vendors must create, make, or grow what they sell,” Wells said. “No reselling is allowed. This is a traditional farmers’ market.

“Crafts are always welcome as long as they are made by the vendors. But no multilevel marketing products are allowed.” and this is not a flea market,” she said. “It’s a very loose market, and it always starts out slowly.

“Unlike most of the others around the area, this is a free market,” Wells said. “There are no fees and no reserved spaces.”

But the city doesn’t want anyone reselling anything, she said. “It’s basically farm to consumer, with no middleman involved.”