Downtown Farmers' Market kicks off 50th season
DES MOINES, Iowa — Thousands of people are making their way to Downtown Des Moines for the opening day of the 50th season of the Downtown Farmers' Market.
In 1976, the market started in a parking lot with just 15 vendors. Now, there are over 300 vendors lined up along the streets of 12 city blocks. Thousands of people make their way to shop local at the market every year.
One of the vendors has seen it all, from the parking lot in 1976, to the Spaghetti Works parking lot years later, to the streets of downtown today. Thill's Produce is based in Pleasantville, Iowa and has been a staple for people visiting the farmers market since the beginning.
They sell locally grown produce and homemade shirts, cups, hats, and more.
Brenda Wadle's parents started the booth and she grew up attending. Her daughter, Taylor, now also works the market.
'When I first started I couldn't even see over the tables,' said Taylor, 'Keeping their tradition alive is very important to me.'
Thill's Produce is located on 4th Street, just south of Court Avenue.
Even with being around for 50 seasons, the market is never the same every year and that's because of the new vendors that join on a yearly basis. This year, there are 48 new vendors.
One new vendor is Exoticas. They are located on 5th Avenue, north of the intersection with Court Avenue.
Graciela Chavez and her family run Exoticas. They sell fruits and vegetables grown in South and Central America, and they also make fruit cups with chamoy and tajin.
Chavez said she was inspired to start Exoticas when she was a student in Los Angeles. There, she saw several fruit vendors and she wanted to bring that back with her in Iowa.
'I come here every year so the fact that I can even be a vendor is amazing,' she said.
The Downtown Farmers' Market also expanded this year to include 5th Avenue between Mulberry and Cherry Streets. This section is heavily populated with food trucks, which is a relatively new trend for the market.
One of these food trucks is Lou-Lou B's. Belinda Peitzman is the owner and she sells Korean corn dogs and authentic, Chicago-style hot dogs. Her grandsons even help her inside the truck.
Another new vendor this year is Twist, which is a family-owned soda shop owned by Tiffany and Justin Simmons.
They are located on 2nd Avenue just north of Court Avenue.
The Downtown Farmers' Market will take place every Saturday from 7 a.m. through noon.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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