Happy Birthday, Main Street Farmers' Market.

"I was thinking forever."

Fifteen years ago, maybe longer, Miriam Keener had an idea.

"We need a farmer-run market," she said.

At the time, there was no farmers' market. No true farmers' market. Sure, markets existed, but they sold crafts and kettle corn, not dairy, beef, produce or eggs.

"None of the markets seemed to care about farmers," she said. "They were run by people who didn't care about farmers."

Keener is second of four generations farming at Sequatchie Cove Farm in Marion County. She and husband Bill began farming there with her parents, who bought 300 acres in the early 90s.

At the time, son Kelsey – third generation – was farming on Williams Island, but had nowhere to sell produce.

So, Miriam – with the moxie-resolve-hell-no-toughness that runs so deep in her blood – did what good farmers do.

"We'll start our own," she said.

That was 2008, into 2009. What began on a forlorn gravel parking lot on Main Street – 20 people, tops, was a good crowd – has evolved into our city's most grassroots and genuine market.

Today, 15 years later, the Main Street Farmers' Market is a bustling, year-round farmer-run, farmer-centric market with 100s of regular customers every Wednesday afternoon.

"It was my idea," Miriam added, "but I couldn't have done it on my own."

Here's the market today:

But 15 years ago? It was 70% vision and 90% hustle.

If they built it, would people come?

As the market celebrates its 15th birthday season, Food as a Verb pays tribute to the grit, faith and vision of a handful of people who said, boldly, when very few people were listening:

"Chattanooga needs a good farmers' market," said Miriam.

"It was motherly instinct," said Padgett Arnold.

Here's their story.

It wasn't the first time they'd tried a market.

"The old Greenlife in 2000," said Padgett.

A little backstory: before Whole Foods, there was Greenlife Grocery, which, before its location on Manufacturer's Road, began on Hixson Pike, where Il Primo exists today. Greenlife was started in 1999 by Chuck Pruett of Pruett's Market on Signal Mountain.

More backstory: in 2000, Padgett, who moved from Georgia to Chattanooga with academic and farming experience, was managing Crabtree Farms and would soon move to the Keeners' with partner Nathan Arnold to grow vegetables and form Sequatchie Cove Creamery.

She's been a prolific, unyielding, gutsy supporter and cultivator of our local food scene.

But the Greenlife market?

"The lack of critical mass," she said. It withered, and died.

Like a few other farms, Sequatchie Cove and Crabtree were selling CSA subscriptions and needed a location.

They called John Sweet, who'd just opened a new bakery on Main Street.

He called it Niedlov's.

Can we use your parking lot?

Sweet was encouraging and generous; yes, he said.

"John Sweet was instrumental," said Padgett.

In 2008, their market opened.

Sequatchie Cove Farm set up shop in the little gravel parking lot, backs against the wall, literally and metaphorically. Dave Waters began bringing meat and eggs.

A few folks came. A few more. The practical and psychological benefit of having a steady location helped.

"It was an anchor, almost like the critical mass the market needed to manifest," said Padgett.

Ideally, they'd hold it on a Saturday in the heart of downtown. Yet Sunday's Chattanooga Market dominated the weekend.

Mid-week was second best.

"That's how Wednesday became our day," said Padgett.

By 2009, they needed a new space, having outgrown the Niedlov's parking lot.

The decision would transform our city's local food landscape.

In 2009, the market moved to an empty gravel lot at the corner of Williams and Main Street. Some friends in good places helped. (Looking at you, Sarah Morgan.)

Anyone recognize this location today?

At the time, Main Street was like a toddler, stretching its legs with so much young energy; Padgett called it the "era of the grant." Foundations poured in money and attention. Folks began using words like place-making and community-building. The Gaining Ground movement – with a $1.65 million Benwood Foundation investment and led by Jeff Pfitzer – was taking shape.

"The timing," said Miriam, was everything.

Main Street was still gritty, but with sculptures. At the time, Clyde's was as an auto shop, not restaurant.

The market – young, scrappy and hungry – fit right in.

"It was next to a condom shop," said Miriam.

Well?

"I never went in," she said.

It was perfect.

With a new location came a new name.

"In 2009, we formally moved and officially started calling it the Main Street Farmers' Market. There was no structure. No rules, no application process. No board, no legal entity. It was a rogue group of farmers," said Padgett.

And a new market manager: Trae Moore.

Trae had been working with the Keeners from day one. He and Bill carried that visionary energy that turned Miriam's idea into reality.

"Gung-ho," remembers Padgett.

"We started spreading the word," said Trae. "I think Facebook was a thing."

Main Street's hipness + more farmers = the stars were aligning.

The Tants began vending. Tom O'Neal and Signal Mountain Farm. Circle S and Letty Smith.

Suzanna Alexander. SonRisa Farms and Robin Fazio. Fall Creek Farms. Walter Bates. Eddie McKenzie. Walden Peak Farms and Ryan Welch.

"We felt like this was really something that’s missing in Chattanooga," said Trae. "These are real farmers. These are people growing this food. You can come and talk to them and meet them."

"It became a social thing. Hang out in parking lot and talk with kids running around. We felt so good about it."

There came growing pains: should we allow any farm to vendor? Or hold to our standards of only organic, sustainable practices? One well-known, large-scale farm was turned away.  

"We’re going to do what we think is right," Padgett said. "The market decided to stick to its values. ... what we felt was right. What we want this market to feel like. What do we want to sell. What do we want it to be known for."

The market kept growing.

Lines got longer.

More farmers began participating.

More Chattanoogans began buying local food.

Don't underestimate the importance of these small, early days, as a core group of farmers – already working 30 hours a day – held tight to this vision.

Trusting that something even better was coming on the horizon.

Soon, it was time for a party.

"A celebration," said Trae. "The New Food Economy Week."

It was an entire week of movies, screen-printing, talks, events, culminating at the Wednesday market with Jim Pfitzer as the emcee.

"It was so packed, you could hardly walk through," he said.

In the coming years, there were two more moves: in the opposite direction down Main Street, next to Velo Coffee Roasters, then, another gravel lot behind Chattanooga Brewing Company on Chestnut Street.

A board was formed. Legal by-laws. Vendor fees added.

"We tried to grow very intentionally and also steadily move the needle of customer attendance and growing the vendors so we didn't get too lopsided," said Padgett.

Years passed. Chattanooga was named Best Outdoor City once. Then, twice. More folks moving here. Meanwhile, through elections and pandemics, the market kept growing with more farmers, more intention.

Today, the market – held every Wednesday, 4 to 6 pm – resides in the Finley Stadium parking lot.

There are dozens of farmers each week, including some from the early days.

And those young farmers from the early days ...

... are now raising kids of their own.

"Looking back on it, it was a unique time," said Padgett. "We'll never go through that period of growth and development in Chattanooga as a community ever again. We landed in that moment."

"Having relationships and trusting each other," she continued. "Embracing a mentality of the rising tide floats all boats. You’re not competing against each other. You’re trying to collaborate and lift each other up."

Folks come to town, walk through the market and realize: we've found it.

"We made the Main Street market for a really good reason," she said. "I love the farmers' market. I dedicated almost two decades of my life to it."

"It taught me that something can be born out of this critical mass and all these great farmers and this produce," she said. "It was a very pioneer kind of feeling. A lot of people we crossed paths with right when we were supposed to."

She thinks back to the Keeners.

"They went out on a limb to do something different. Their boldness in just how they lived certainly empowered me," she said. "I can do that, too."

Trae agrees. (He spent countless hours promoting, organizing, building this market. Today, we are the recipients of his – and others' – vision.)

"We felt that real early on," he said. "People really responded to it really early."

For Miriam, it all just made sense.

"It's just like nature," she said. "Of course, it was going to last 15 years. We need each other. We all have to eat. Everybody wants a market."

So, when you started this market, were you thinking 15 years?

"I was thinking forever."

All photography by Sarah Unger (sarah@foodasaverb.com)

All design by Alex DeHart

All words by David Cook (david@foodasaverb.com)

Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in sponsorship or advertising opportunities? Email us: david@foodasaverb.com and sarah@foodasaverb.com

This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.