There are so many booths I love at the Eugene Saturday Market!
Saturday, I actually remembered to bring my camera (big pat on the back) and took some pictures of a few of my favorites. We have made so many wonderful friends at market that have added to the richness in our lives. We’ve done so many fun trades and have some continuous trades going that we always look forward to. Saturdays are full of color, entertainment, surprises and new adventures.
So here is a little taste of Eugene Saturday Market on a sunny day in May.
Meet Sheila, the basket weaver who always brightens our day.
Our dear friend Sheila’s booth is filled with beautiful hand woven baskets that are made by her and her two friends- Patricia and Donna. I love going and seeing what’s new each week, admiring the different materials they use, and gently picking up each basket and feeling them. They make backpack baskets, garlic baskets….. pretty much a basket to hold anything you can think of. I am blessed to have two of Sheila’s baskets, one is filled with lavender and hanging on the wall in our home, the other is a backpack basket which I use all the time. There is something so jubilant and rosy about Sheila, I believe she weaves some kind of magic into her baskets.
(Also, I must add Sheila is wearing a necklace and earrings in this picture, made by Jeff- that suit her so well!)
You can find these friendly ladies and beautiful baskets in Booth 138, by the fountain.
Here are some pictures:
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Meet Jolaine, the magical moccasin maker.
I know from experience how incredibly comfortable and heavenly Jolaine’s moccasins are. Jeff and I live in them. She custom designs them to your feet (or if you’re lucky she might have a pair already made that fits you perfectly.) She makes baby moccasins, summer sandals in different styles and moccasins of varying heights. There are different colors and designs and…. guess what? They are machine washable! Also, they are lined with sheepskin (so comfy!) Once you wear her shoes, you will never want to wear anything else! I had a few favorite children’s books about cobblers and I like to think of Jolaine as a modern day cobbler.
(Jolaine is also wearing a necklace and earrings made by Jeff in this picture, hooray for beautiful people wearing Jeff’s art!)
(Jolaine is also wearing a necklace and earrings made by Jeff in this picture, hooray for beautiful people wearing Jeff’s art!)
You can find her in Booth 139A, also by the fountain. Her business is called Sole Mates Custom Footwear : Soles to Suit Your Soul.
Here are a few pictures from her booth:
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Meet Nancy, bright just like her name.
Nancy’s last name is Bright, which suits her perfectly. You enter Nancy’s booth and it is, well, bright! (Is there a theme here?) Nancy does things with watercolors that I never knew was possible and the colors she chooses are so soothing. Her images speak to Jeff and I so deeply, and I know she touches so many people with her art. When you see what she creates, you know she was born to be a painter. She has prints of all sizes available for sale, along with journals, bookmarks, and stickers. Jeff has surprised me with a few of her prints as gifts so a few rooms in our home are blessed with her beautiful art.
I didn’t get very many pictures of her art at market because I know the pictures on her online etsy store are better than photographs I could take of them (the reflections in the picture below tell you why.)
Check out her etsy store to see what we’re going on about:
You can also find her at Saturday Market.
(If you visit her, be sure to make her laugh because her whole face lights up when she smiles!)
(If you visit her, be sure to make her laugh because her whole face lights up when she smiles!)
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Meet Fenn and Tatanka, Sweet Leaf’s sweetest ladies.
I’ve been mentioning a lot of handcrafted booths I love, now it’s time for a different type of creating with your hands: growing food! Every week we look forward to visiting Sweet Leaf farm stand. Honestly, we fell in love with Fenn and Tatanka before we fell in love with the produce (now we have fallen in love with the produce too.) They are the perfect example that good customer service is what makes a business successful. They are so friendly and helpful with everyone who comes to the booth and I feel this has a lot to do with why they always have a crazy long line at their booth. If you need a good dose of happy, go visit them! I love Sweet Leaf’s colorful booth full of carrots, radishes, cilantro, basil, zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, spinach, kale, beets, and yes, strawberries- if you beat the crowd. Much more produce is available as the season goes on and it seems there is something new to enjoy each week.
You can find them at the Farmer’s Market.
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Meet Joanna, the lady who loves feeding people.
(Joanna is on the right, I am not sure the name of her friend next to her.)
(Joanna is on the right, I am not sure the name of her friend next to her.)
Three words: Carrot Ginger Soup. Jeff and I got hooked on it at Holiday Market last year. It’s delicious. Joanna makes it with coconut milk and sometimes adds sweet potato too. Mmmm mmm. Jeff loves her jasmine iced tea, and we love her fresh salads with tempeh. Since Jeff and I don’t eat wheat gluten or sugar, there are a few items on her menu we have not been able to partake in, but they look incredible. So please try them for me and let me know how they are so I can vicariously enjoy them through you. 🙂
Most of the ingredients she uses are organic.
Her booth is called ‘The T.R.E.E.’ which stands for- the true reason everyone eats.
You can find her at Booth F11 in the food court (just follow your nose, it will lead you there.)
Below is Jeff enjoying the Carrot Ginger Soup and a picture of the booth.
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Meet Maria, my new market friend.
I just recently met Maria at the Deck Family Farm booth and she has to be just about one of the sweetest people ever. If you appreciate the best quality meat and eggs, visit their farm stand. (They also have dairy products that are available from their farm.) I know I’ve mentioned Deck Family Farm’s meat plenty of times in my blog because I am so passionate about it. Jeff and I feel so blessed to have this family farm nearby that provides grassfed and pastured meat. They offer a large selection- beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat and more. Everything they offer looks so good (I start salivating when I enter their booth) and everything we’ve ever eaten that came from them, we loved! I highly recommend getting involved in their CSA. Whenever we’ve gotten a CSA box from them, it felt like Christmas and we considered ourselves the luckiest people in the world!
You can find them at the Farmer’s Market.
You can learn more about them on their website:
Deck Family Farm Website
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Meet Corey, a chef- an excellent chef.
Last but not least is a booth Jeff and I have recently fallen in love with- Field to Table. Visiting this booth is one thing I really look forward to every week. Each Saturday they change their menu, which is so exciting. I always wonder what delicious creation they’ll have next. Their food is incredible. They feature ingredients from local farms and you can tell when you taste it.
Last Saturday I had their barbecue chicken with pickled beets and beet greens. It was the best barbeque chicken I have ever had in my life! I’ve loved their lentil soup, their pork scramble, their snapper tacos, their local lamb plate with roasted turnips and so much more. I’d like to have a photo album of all the meals I’ve ever eaten at their booth so I can look over it fondly and remember how good it all was (okay, maybe that’s a little much, but you get my point.) If I had a penny for every person I sent over to their booth every Saturday, I’d probably be able to buy my meal in pennies next week.
You can find Field to Table’s booth at the Farmer’s Market.
(Sometimes they sell out, so don’t wait till the end of the day!)
I hope you enjoyed this preview of a few favorite booths at Eugene Saturday Market!
Abby- Jolaine’s phone number is 541-687-5691. And if you happen to visit her at Saturday Market, come by our booth and say hi! 🙂
Taryn, Yes I’m interested. Thank you!
Thanks Kim!! That means a lot coming from you, you take gorgeous photos.
Great job with the gorgeous photos Taryn! -Kim from Market
Linda- Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Dw- that will be so fun for you to visit market! 🙂
Abby- Jolaine does not have her moccasins online. But I have her business card and I can give you her phone number if you are interested. Just let me know.
Jessica- that is why New England is so lucky to have you: because you spread the happy vibe all over the place! You’ll be like a magnet, drawing in all kinds of sweet people! 🙂
Wonderful! Now I will be prepared when I decide to take a fieldtrip down there one Saturday. 🙂
This is wonderful Taryn!
Do you know if there is a way to find Jolaine’s moccasins online? I googled her business name and didn’t find any results that seemed relevant.
This was a really awesome review. It has been so many years since I have been to this market.
I could use a dose of happy! I sure wish I had a market like yours in our area. We have a farmer’s market that starts up again in June, but it doesn’t have the same vibe. Folks in New England notoriously keep to themselves, and you have to search a little harder to find kindred spirits.