I am an native California resident from a small town called Ojai, which is about 2 hours North of Los Angeles. As of 2022, the population of Ojai was 7,540 people (Data Commons), so you can tell it’s pretty small, especially compared to Austin, whose population is 974,447 (Data Commons), which is where I live now as a freshman at SEU. As a child, my dad would take my sister and I to our small farmers market in downtown Ojai. My dad has always loved to cook and he enjoyed the fresh produce he could buy from the vendors. Nearly 15 years later, after not visiting a single farmers market, our ENSP class took a trip to the SFC Farmers Market Downtown. Despite not experiencing the Ojai farmers market for some time, I still have a vivid memory of what it was like. Here are some of the similarities and differences between a farmers market in California and a farmers market in Texas. 

 

Not surprisingly, the farmers markets were very similar in many ways such as the people, the layout, and the general vibe of the area. When our class first arrived, we were greeted by a friendly SFC volunteer who took us to a vendor who sold farm fresh eggs. At first glance, the man who owned the stand looked like a stereotypical Ojai resident. He had a long beard and even longer hair and talked very smoothly. He was very kind and was enjoying the nice day, just like all of the vendors in Ojai. This was the first vendor who we talked to in a large line running down the street. The whole setup of the market was similar to Ojai, with the countless white pop-up tents with cars pulled up right to the back of them. Both markets also use a general U-shaped structure where shoppers walk through a general entrance and shop until they reach the exit. Finally, the vibes of the Austin market was very happy and vibrant, which matched with Ojai’s perfectly. It was easy to tell at both markets that the shoppers were enjoying their day off by being outside in the sun, shopping for fresh food. You could also tell that the vendors at both markets loved their jobs and were focused on satisfying their customers while also enjoying the day. When I was in the Austin farmers market, it felt like I was back in Ojai.

 

Though there are many similarities between the two farmers markets, there are also a few differences, such as location, density of people, and merchandise sold. Obviously the two markets are in different locations geographically, but the surroundings differ as well. Ojai is a small town in a valley surrounded by mountains, while Austin is a sprawling urban city with skyscrapers and heavy traffic. The farmers market in Ojai was extremely different in the sense that it was located behind a few establishments in an empty parking lot surrounded by urban houses. The market in Austin on the other hand was in the heart of downtown and is surrounded by tall buildings and takes up the entire street for one block! These locations would also lead to a difference in the number of people present at each market. As you would expect, there were far more people at the Austin market compared to the Ojai market. Interestingly enough, the size of each market was about the same, which surprised me. Finally, the last major difference I noticed was what was being sold. In Ojai, the produce almost only consisted of fruits and vegetables while in Austin, there was a much larger array including some of the same fruits and vegetables but also lots of fresh meat, eggs, mushrooms, and others. The other kinds of merchandise such as clothes and art were different at each location, too. Austin also had multiple stands that were selling cooked food that you could buy and eat, which never happens in Ojai.

 

A farmers market in a small town in California is different in some ways and similar in others compared to farmers market in a large city in Texas. Some of these similarities include the kinds of people you will see shopping and selling, the trends of the layouts, and the feelings you experience at each market. The differences between the two markets also include the location where it is set up, how many people come to shop, and what kinds of things are being sold. There are probably other aspects that I did not pick up on, so maybe you should travel to your local farmers market and see if any of these comparisons match, or don’t.

 

Blog post by Liam Rusin