As the vendors get ready for their morning sales, the wafting smells of fresh bread, sweetened southern-made tea, and even glimpses of new, inventive medicines and family decor are put on display. The usual downtown area of Rogers bustles with authenticity and a sense of connection. Farmers and locals from everywhere all over Arkansas gather around the sidewalks of downtown Rogers for one thing: the farmers market and the goods it has to offer.
The market welcomes entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products. Not only is the farmers market a place to make money, but it’s also enjoyable for locals to roam the winding walkways of various stands to observe and sample.
“It’s one of my SAE projects that I will input the hours for online, and I can document expenses and selling, and the farmers market is a way to show the community what we can do,” said FFA (Future Farmers of America) member and SAE (Supervised Agriculture Experience) participant, Erica Holder, 12.
The farmers market is a creative way for young entrepreneurs, farmers and even school clubs to express their ideas and spread their purpose. For the FFA, the farmers’ market is a way to get people more involved with their club, even gaining extra funds from donors that eventually pay off to help the FFA fund their club and support school activities.
For the FFA, the SAE project is a way to gain attention. The SAE is a project that allows FFA members to gain hands-on experience with real-world agricultural situations, including produce, animals and other natural resources.
“I’ve seen more people say ‘wow,’ and it gives FFA more people looking into that and more people buying from our fundraisers, which brings in more money to FFA and gives us more activities, like even Critter day with all the animals,” Holder said.
Critter Day is a beloved event held near the end of the year, where animals are brought to the field of Rogers High School, allowing students and community members to engage and have fun. This shows how the Rogers Farmers Market benefits the community in unexpected ways.
The Farmers Market provides extracurricular opportunities for students as well. Outside of school involvement, Emily Wasonga contributes to the community by showcasing African-made jewelry that she made along with other cultural garments, giving curious onlookers a backstory on the creations.
“I like that people find beautiful things with us. I like that they get a taste of the world. I think it also helps people connect with other human beings,” Wasonga said.
In addition to jewelry making, she also owns a non-profit. Her non-profit organization, The Empowerment Initiative, sets out to help young entrepreneurs discover their passion and create their own businesses by collaborating with each other and inspiring them with ideas. By doing this, she is advocating for something she believes in and wants others to believe in, the beauty in not only her work, but themselves and the world around them.
“I think that connection and getting to know the people around you, as well as for us, in the stands, we all trade our goods, and so it’s kind of a barter system. Which is really cool and just getting to know people, and different skill sets,” said Abi Toto, full-time manager.
The farmers market is great for bringing people together, which helps attract customers and helps local businesses grow, while also bringing awareness to local productions.
“It allows farmers to use local people to share their business ideas, share all the things that they do, via home, and also they might have their own business, but it will also allow them to spread it, it allows people to go there, and make non-profits, school clubs, and it can help with the community involvement in these communities,” Holder said.
