On Nov. 18, Oxford is sponsoring a Farm & Flea event. It is an extension of the weekly farmer’s market. Economic development specialist Seth Cropenbaker said more than 40 vendors have signed up already.
That number is in addition to regular farmer’s market participants like Jennifer Bayne of 7 Wonders Farm. The dedicated event will build on the farmer’s market’s typical atmosphere, which Bayne said is already lively.
“It’s not a farmers market; it’s an experience,” Bayne said. “It’s a destination. Most the other farmers markets we do … people come and they buy and they leave. That’s the normal farmer’s market. Oxford people come, they stay, they eat, they drink, they socialize, they get some more to eat, and then they leave.”
A flyer for the event says the city is hoping to attract jewelers, metalworkers, painters and more to participate. Cropenbaker said multiple student entrepreneurs have already signed up to sell their own goods, and there’s still room for more. Vendors can fill out an online form to participate.
Unlike other Red Brick events, the city won’t shut down High Street this time around, instead focusing on the Uptown Parks. East and West Park Place will both be closed off, as well as North Main Street from High Street to Church Street.
The Farm & Flea event is scheduled for the Saturday before Thanksgiving. While Miami University will hold classes until that Tuesday, many parents come early to pick up their kids. Cropenbaker said the timing of the event is intentional to coincide with people coming and going from Oxford that weekend.
“This might be the last weekend before folks leave, so they might feel a little more freedom or [be] compelled to make some purchases that they would immediately take home,” Cropenbaker said. He added that the emphasis on local artisan businesses will make it a good venue for buying holiday gifts.
Larry Slocum, manager of the weekly Oxford farmer’s market, said the event also aligns with the end of the season for a lot of participating farmers.
“As long as we don’t have a good hard frost between now and then, we should have plenty of produce to sell,” Slocum said.
Sally Henson operates a food truck at the market each week. She heard about the event a few weeks ago and filled out a form to get involved just in case, though all of the regular vendors at the farmer’s market are being grandfathered in. Henson said she’ll approach the Farm & Flea differently from a normal Saturday market because of its extended hours and plans to bring lunch items, as well.
“I’ve helped some friends with some different farm and flea events around town … and they can be really great events for the community,” Henson said. “I hope that it’s not too late in the season that we’ll be cold.”
Cropenbaker said Oxford is making an effort to incorporate more programming and events throughout the year. It rebranded Red Brick Fridays to Red Brick Events to allow for more flexibility in the future, and he’s always open to new ideas from the community.
“While I think we’ve got an excellent team of creative and passionate folks, I don’t think we can think of everything,” Cropenbaker said. “So if there’s events, activities, things that people want to see … I’d love to hear from them.”
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