Customers can shop for their weekly groceries, find unique gifts that are made from local artisans, enjoy musical talents from local artists and enjoy breakfast and lunch, all within the market’s laid back atmosphere located right off Republic Road and Highway 60 on Nature Center Way. The market provides vendors from a 150-mile radius the opportunity to bring the best from the county to the city every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. Opening to a crowd of over 10,000 in July 2013, the market has become the largest farmers market in the Ozarks, boosting over 100 vendors from around the Ozarks. The community has watched as the structures for Farmers Park has been constructed over the year and the community awaits the future opening of the permanent farmers market pavilion, where Farmers Market of the Ozarks will call home. Just as the mission states the organization “operates a vibrant farmers market that contributes to the success of local food growers and producers, strengthens the local food economy and serves as a community gathering place for the Ozarks region” the market has quickly become the place to be on Saturday mornings, allowing consumers to “put a face to their food.”
Besides local vendors and farmers, the market also provides booths for community partners, cooking demonstrations, a kid’s activity area, sampling, food contests and festivals. It’s not only fun to shop locally at FMO, but the market makes shopping easy through its token system. The market accepts SNAP, debit and credit card transactions. To use these forms of payment, shoppers simply go to the Market Info Hub for tokens to spend like cash throughout market.
