A Sunday at the Market

Ah, it’s another beautiful Sunday afternoon at the market. The cool fall breeze is blowing through the gardens. Kids and adults are sack-racing. One of the vendors is taking a break for a moment to huck a few lines in the skatepark. Fresh produce is available all around, along with all sorts of unique and handmade crafts. The lady over there is offering a free coconut hand scrub, and the group meditation is going to start in 20.

Wait—which market are we at again?

Welcome to the People’s Market. Every Sunday morning and into the afternoon, vendors and farmers from all around the Salt Lake Valley and beyond gather at the Peace Gardens on 1000 West and 900 South to sell their produce and wares. All of this hoopla was started four years ago by Kyle LaMalfa selling produce on a lone card table just a few blocks down the street from his home. “A couple people came to that, really not too many,” says LaMalfa. As it went on, attendance began to increase. Some people expressed interest in selling their own goods. Others offered services for the market, such as painting signs and advertising it in newsletters. “Before you knew it, there were people that started wanting to give more and more. It just sorta took off on its own two feet.”

As the People’s Market grew over the years, it found its current home at the Peace Gardens. “It was the best place on the west side that had the right shade, and it was close to the parkway,” says LaMalfa, who also mentioned the other amenities the park has to offer, such as the skatepark and the gardens themselves. The location was also a great place to serve as a central meeting place for the neighborhood. “We wanted to build a community and create something special for the neighborhoods that, for a large part, have a bad reputation,” says LaMalfa.

Grown from that single table of produce four years ago, the People’s Market now sports dozens of tables selling an impressively wide array of goods. Any sort of produce, from green onions to tomatoes and squash, can be found from both farmers and home-gardeners alike. Alongside those edible goodies, one can find anything from handmade soaps and scrubs to children’s toys and metalwork. There are very few restrictions as to what can be sold at the market. “You don’t need a business license, but things you sell must have been created by you,” says LaMalfa. No one is allowed to sell things that are imported, and there are no yardsale-type items either. “You’ve gotta have your creativity embodied in that thing that you’re selling on your table, whether you grew it, baked it, painted it, sculpted it, whatever.”
Among the many booths you find at the People’s Market, one of the most notable ones is LaMalfa’s very own produce table. At his home, LaMalfa has managed to grow an absolutely breathtaking garden. Nearly any produce one could imagine can be found in this garden, ranging from tomatoes and squash to hops, herbs and even nearly a dozen beehives. Every Sunday before the market starts, LaMalfa harvests a load and sells them at his table. “My booth is sorta like One World Café: Take what you need, pay what you can. I did it last year and made enough money to keep that system going,” says LaMalfa.

Photos:

Page:  [1]  2  Next >>

Comments on this article

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Rock Star Status

Que bueno Kyle LaMalfa!

Add a comment

Please keep your comments on the subject of the article.
We will delete your comment if it is racist, misogynistic, sexist, bigoted or just plain lame.
No HTML allowed!