02/05/2026
We've had SO MANY new potential vendors join our group excited to bring items to share with the community. Remember Oskaloosa Vendor and Farmer's market is a LOCAL and HOMEGROWN/HANDMADE market.
When you’re walking the market and looking at prices, it helps to think about what goes into making that item.
One way to look at it is this:
“How many of these would someone have to sell just to pay themselves for the week?”
That might be cabbages picked in the heat, bread baked late at night, pies made start to finish in a home kitchen, or handmade goods built one step at a time. Every table represents hours most folks never see.
Prices aren’t pulled out of thin air. They help cover:
🌱 Time and labor (planting, baking, building, cleaning up and standing at a market table)
🚚 Fuel, ingredients, supplies, and equipment
👩🌾 A fair paycheck for the person doing the work
🌧️ The risk—because weather, ovens, and machines don’t always cooperate
If you don't agree with a price or it's out of your budget, that’s okay. We all have limits. A kind response makes a big difference! Here are some ideas:
🙂 “Thanks for being here today.”
🙂 “Maybe another week.”
🙂 “That looks great, just not in my budget right now.”
What keeps this market strong is remembering that prices reflect real work by local people. Thanks for supporting small businesses and treating our vendors with respect—we’re so excited to see you in a few months!
