Feb. 2024: Uptown Farmers Market Seeks 2024 Pop-up Vendors

After a hiatus for visioning, East Isles is thrilled to announce a call for vendors for the revamped Uptown Farmers Market! 

2024 will be a season of pop-up markets across participating Uptown neighborhoods, to build momentum and recognition for a stationary, weekly market season in 2025. Each pop-up this year will be connected to a larger, existing neighborhood event, providing visibility and strong attendance. While we aim to bring back many of the vendors, musicians, and food trucks who made the East Isles Farmers Market great, we’re also welcoming new vendors and talent!

If you’re interested in participating at the Uptown Farmers Market pop-up events in 2024, please submit a contact form and we’ll reach out with full details soon:

Feb. 2023: 2023 Farmers Market Hiatus

Dear Neighbors,

Many of you have enjoyed shopping, eating, and listening to live music at the East Isles Farmers Market, located on the Uptown Mall Park just west of Hennepin Avenue for the last five years. We at East Isles Neighborhood Association have loved hosting the market and supporting so many local producers and shoppers. At the same time, the market has been under-utilized and unknown by many residents of our Uptown community.

After many conversations, we recognized an opportunity for many of the area neighborhoods to join together and re-imagine a farmers market managed, supported, and promoted by an Uptown Farmers Market Collaborative, working to increase market access, resources, and sustainability.

East Isles, East Bde Maka Ska, and the Wedge/Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Associations have decided to take a farmers market hiatus this summer in order to collaborate on a meaningful and realistic plan for an Uptown Farmers Market in 2024. Rest assured we plan to bring back many of the same vendors, musicians, and food trucks, with new ideas and voices.

If you have any questions, ideas, resources, or a personal interest in getting involved with this new planning collaborative, please reach out to info@eastisles.org.

Gratefully,

East Isles Neighborhood Association
Uptown Farmers Market Collaborative

 
 

Our Mission

The Farmers Market inspires a healthy community by bringing local, sustainable, and mostly organic or pesticide-free produce to our high-density neighborhood. It’s accessible by bike, foot, or skateboard.

History

The East Isles Neighborhood Association worked in partnership with The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to create the first-ever Farmers Market in a park on Park Board property: East Isles Farmers Market. The market was the brainchild of the East Isles Neighborhood Association and was established as a means to further our mission of building community, promoting green spaces, and fostering neighbor relations.

In 2023, the East Isles Neighborhood Association put the market on hiatus to re-envision a more collaborative, sustainable market involving other surrounding neighborhoods, creating a Uptown Farmers Market Collaborative including East Isles, East Bde Maka Ska, Lowry Hill, The Wedge/Lowry Hill East, and South Uptown Neighborhood Associations.

We Love Local

  • We contribute to the success of local food growers, bakers, and makers by supporting local entrepreneurs and artisans.

  • We strive to include women and minority-owned businesses to further an equitable marketplace. More than half of our vendors are women-owned businesses.

  • We vet the quality of sourcing, production and growing practices of our vendors.

  • We provide educational opportunities related to food, rain gardens, sustainability and zero waste.

  • We promote the Minnesota Cottage Food Law by encouraging residents and neighbors to participate in our Pickle Booth.