by Christina Cavazos
For 15 years, the Historic Longview Farmers Market has been dedicated to connecting local farmers and artisan vendors with consumers and giving them a place to showcase fresh produce, handmade goods, and specialty items.
The market, which is a project of Preservation Longview, runs from early spring through November. Vendors set up each Saturday morning from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the site of the former Kelly Plow Works at the corner of High Street and Tyler Street.
On any given market day, shoppers can find a wide variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables, pasture-raised meats, handmade goods, and baked treats.
Organizer Lynette Goodson, who has volunteered with the market for many years, attributes its success over the past 15 years to the community support it receives.
“When we open, people come in and thank us,” she said. “They tell us how glad they are that we’re back open again, and that’s what keeps us going. The community really appreciates what we do here.”
One key factor that sets the Historic Longview Farmers Market apart from others is its dedication toward authenticity. Goodson said the market vets its vendors to ensure that customers are getting fresh produce and goods directly from the source.
“We know exactly where their products are coming from, and we make sure they’re doing what they say they’re doing,” she explained. “There’s no wholesale here. If we don’t have tomatoes, we don’t have tomatoes — what you see is what we have.”
The market features around 20 vendors each week, with the number varying depending on the season and the weather. Some vendors have been participating in the market since its early years while others are newer.
Winona Orchards has participated in the Historic Longview Farmers Market for at least 10 years, according to Hunter Sattler.
“We planted trees in 2007 and it takes four years to get a crop. We’ve been coming here pretty much since our first crop arrived,” Sattler said, noting that Winona Orchards specializes in peaches and blueberries. Sattler noted the freshness of produce is better at the Historic Longview Farmers Market than what customers would find at a traditional grocery store, where crops must be picked earlier than ideal so they arrive at the big box stores on time. At markets, producers can pick their crop as close as the day before market.
“The moment you take a peach off the tree, the sugar production stops. The longer it’s on the tree, the sweeter it is,” he said. “So when you come to a market like this, the fruit just tastes better.”
The market also helps nurture new businesses, providing a platform for them to grow.
“We’ve helped launch several businesses,” Goodson said. She referenced vendors like Tomboni’s, which began as a market vendor before opening their restaurant, and Haute Goat Creamery, a cheese shop that gained popularity through the market and then opened a location in White Oak before closing during the pandemic.
The market also helped other businesses increase awareness of their products. Sola Bread Co. opened nine years ago in Tyler and has been participating as a vendor at the Historic Longview Farmers Market for about four to five years.
“Longview is by far our best market,” said Christina Dubas, event coordinator at Sola Bread Co. “It’s amazing. We get such incredible foot traffic and regular return customers.”
Sola bakes its items from scratch. Popular pastries from Sola at the Longview market include almond croissants and the cinnamon sugar morning bun. In terms of bread, Dubas said Sola’s multigrain is very popular among Longview customers. The multigrain bread is made with rye rolled oats mixed with sunflower seeds, brown and golden flax seeds, and sesame seeds.
Dubas described the Longview farmers market as having a “really loyal customer base,” noting that this is the only market where she sees a line from the minute the market opens at 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
“People come out for this market. They support it and that means everything. To keep it going, that’s what you need,” Dubas said. “Community support is everything.”
