An Insight Into the Lynchburg Community Market's Vendors

I spoke with numerous vendors from the local Lynchburg Community Market to learn about their stories and their experiences with the market. One of the first things I found was how well the market is able to cultivate a community with its vendors. I spoke with Beatriz Gutiérrez González, who has had a wood fired pottery stand at the market for a little over a year. She applied and was able to sign a contract to move in. She started with a simple set up and was then able to expand with the help of her fellow vendors. Beatriz Gutierrez Pottery is one of the many artisanal booths at the market. After speaking with her stand neighbor ,Jim, owner of Woodworking by James, I found that the vendors cover for each other when they aren’t at their stand. They try their best to look out for each other and promote each other to customers. The market also creates opportunities for vendors to create connections with their customers. Jim, who had been at the market for seven years, enjoys talking with people coming into the market who are interested in woodworking as well. He and his fellow craftsmen will often share tips and tricks of their trade with each other. The community market presents an opportunity for inspiring business owners to get their foot in the door. I spoke with Shannon Mendez from My Wild Inspirations, who started her innovative DIY flower bar stand in June of 2024. She praises the market for its accessibility for artisans and small businesses to start up . She stated, “It’s a great way to try a new idea without the overhead of having to rent a building or purchase a new space”. It takes a lot of pressure off of these business owners so they can focus on building a customer base and working on their products. Many of the vendors at the market have been selling there for generations. I spoke with Dylan Laskowski from Thistle Ridge Farms who was working his produce stand. He told me that his wife got him into farming since she was a third generation working at the market and a seventh generation farmer in Lynchburg. We ended up discussing how after ten years at the market they created strong connections with the other farmers. He said, “You get to know everybody really well. It kinda feels like a big family. We’re not employed together; we’re all self employed but you feel like you work together.” Another vendor that I spoke with also had family that had been at the market for a few generations. Savannah Pilley is the seventeen year old owner of Secret Ink Society. She has a booth at the market selling ‘Blind Dates with a Book’ where you get a mystery book and some other goodies. Her family owns the Firefly Grove Confectionery at the market. Before she was a vendor herself she would often come to the market with her grandparents who had a business there. I hoped to learn more about the experiences of the Community Market, since I visit often. The goal of the market was to bring people together and create a space for people to reach out to the public and sell their products. I have found that these vendors rely on each other and help newcomers. The general environment is welcoming and the community aspect of the market really shines.