DOWNTOWN COURTHOUSE SQUARE
On her first Saturday at the San Marcos Farmers Market, Vanessa Velasquez realized she had set up her coffee booth in the wrong spot. Before she could grab her table, nearby vendors stepped in.
“All the vendors grabbed something and helped me move to the right spot,” Velasquez said. “I know everyone here has each other’s backs.”
After Velasquez saw an Instagram ad for someone to run the Redbud Roasters coffee booth at the San Marcos Farmers Market, she says that sense of belonging drew her in.
“That’s what brought me to work with Redbud,” she said. “The community surrounding it.”
The booth is simple at first glance. A foldable table stands at the center of it all covered in a black cloth that drapes to the ground. The setup isn’t extravagant, but it feels personal. Every inch of space is used with care.
A large, insulated coffee container sits near the edge of the table. The coffee was prepared with care ahead of time, ready to be shared. A 16-ounce hot coffee is being prepared. A soft cloud of steam escapes, carrying that deep roasted aroma even further into the crowd.
Next to that is a small station for customizing each cup. Open containers of sugar catch bits of sunlight, and a Texas- shaped bottle of cinnamon sits nearby. Spread across the table are bags of coffee beans. Two stickers are on each bag. Their label pops with red and a coffee cup. The label says there the coffee is from - Mexico, Guatemala and Peru.
Then there’s a globe. It sits between the bags of coffee grinds. It’s small but meaningful, like it’s been picked up and spun more than a few times. Not just for decoration but to tell a story. This globe represents the coffees’ journey.
The sun is warm but not overwhelming just yet. There’s one street on the square that is filled with a row of tents and booths being run by local farmers, bakers, and artists. Vendors have packed their tables with fresh produce like bright tomatoes and leafy greens. Alongside homemade are goods like honey, jams, soaps and baked bread.
A steady conversation carries through the market as vendors greet people by name, making it more personal and business, as customers come by to chat and not just to buy.
Local live music plays in front of the Marc, a community event space in downtown San Marcos that hosts performances, celebrity DJ’s and local events. Tucked between the booths and somehow still the center of everything. Each Saturday, the artists are different. The music beats down the street along with laughter and the clatter of people walking around.
The market offers more than food.
Douglass Smith created a Soap Company during the pandemic with online orders only. Three years later, he decided to open up a shop right on North LBJ and has been running it ever since. The markets create an opportunity for the Douglass Smith Soap Company to grow.
“And what that does, it’s awareness,” Smith said. “A lot of people who don’t walk by the stores, that’s the way they find us.”
The shop could be missed by only looking and relying on eyesight. But the olfactory senses are key here. Halfway down the street before the canopy is even visible, the aroma of the soaps is evident. The scent drifts through the market with soft layers of lavender, eucalyptus, and citrus.
Kevin Adams, president of the Farmers Market Association, has held this market every Saturday for the past 16 years. He said the market did not just create a community, but created a space to nurture San Marcos.
“Everybody shares trades, instead of hiding their trade secrets,” Adams said. “Everybody is trying to help everyone else out.”
Farmer and owner of EIEIO farm in Wimberley, 17 miles northwest of San Marcos, Kathleen Mooney has been a part of the market since its beginning. Some 15 years ago, her three-year-old son had a life-changing idea. After watching “Charlotte’s Web.” Her son mentioned moving out of the country, starting a farm, calling it EIEIO, and getting a pig named Wilbur.
They never left the United States, but found the land at a reduced price.
“It was meant to be,” Mooney said.
She has tried a couple of different markets, like the New Braunfels Farmers Market but realized the San Marcos Farmers Market is the most successful location for her condiments.
“That’s my best market I do,” Mooney said.
Radici Mama created homemade juices that are nutritious and she says improve one’s health.
“Homemade nourishment for the soul,” Mama said.
She tells customers if they bring their glass bottle from a previous bottle back, they get 50 cents off their next purchase off your fresh press juice.
