Carbondale Farmers Market

Jamie Wall moved to Colorado in 2015 to pursue an internship as part of a Masters of Recreation Management. Her Rocky Mountain story began in Breckenridge, but shortly thereafter a job posting for special events at the Carbondale Recreation and Community Center caught her eye.

The Town of Carbondale’s Farmers Market was established in 2005. It started with a florist and a couple of farmers from the Western Slope offering locally sourced products to the Roaring Fork Valley. Today, it is a staple in the community every Wednesday over the summer.

The two stories — those of Jamie and the market —  became one in 2020…

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…It was then when Jamie took over as the Market Manager/Town Liaison for the Carbondale Farmers Market. Her passion and dedication to economic and social preservation is wildly and widely prevalent. Before even mentioning the local products and produce, Jamie point’s to the effect that the Farmers Market has on the town’s local economic circularity.

She describes the market as “an incubator for small businesses,” which is seen by the healthy diversity of vendors. From jewelry and juices to empanadas and edible forests, visitors will be surprised to find such a wide array of options that make their way to Carbondale each week.

This incubator also has found a way to practice financial inclusiveness. Pricing is often the primary deterrent of farmers markets for its potential clientele. The Carbondale Farmers Market not only is a partner of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but they also offer Double Up Food Bucks. This program doubles the value of SNAP benefits at certain markets and food stores around Colorado and thus removes financial boundaries for families in need.

Education, Conservation & Inclusion

Education is especially important in maintaining the rural roots of Carbondale’s past. The farmers and ranchers from the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond are at the heart of the market, and the staff remains selective about who they choose as vendors each year. Farms are vetted, visited, and must be based in Colorado — with a priority given to those in the Roaring Fork Valley. These are the same producers that supply many of Carbondale’s restaurants. (Pro-tip: Check out the Roaring Fork Farm Map.) 

On any given Wednesday, Jamie estimates that roughly 30% of visitors to the Carbondale Farmers Market are tourists. This enables staff to highlight the importance of shopping local in person through various different lenses.

In our globalized world where everything is available with the click of a button, the direct and indirect benefits of selling and shopping locally are too numerous to express. Jamie and her team do their best to educate tourists and locals alike of the positive effect they have by patronizing the Carbondale Farmers Market. A few examples include:

• • Economically, money spent on products produced by local vendors stay in the community.
  • Environmentally, supply chain and transportation emissions almost disappear.

• Socially, the Farmers Market builds a stronger sense of community. 

For this final example, Jamie puts it best. “It’s really just a social experiment. This is more than just businesses coming together. These are our neighbors. These are our friends.”

Jamie’s Perfect Day in Carbondale

My typical summer day in Carbondale for me would be waking up early to enjoy the cooler mornings and grabbing a coffee and breakfast sandwich from Granetta Panini. Working for the Town of Carbondale Parks and Rec Department provides a flexible schedule – which allows me to manage & support the Wednesdays Carbondale Farmers Market. After taking Jonelle’s workout class at the Rec Center I usually follow with lunch at the Farmers’ Market. One of my favorite vendors is Kaleb’s Katch – you cannot go wrong with a salmon wrap! The Farmers’ Market is my favorite place to shop local and visit with my neighbors and friends. At the end of the work day, I usually find myself enjoying our backyard with a local mountain bike ride up Prince Creek.