Tucked away on a quiet road on Madison’s east side, Garver Feed Mill, once host to a sugar processing plant, now acts as a venue to all things Madison. On any given day, the former factory holds everything from Ian's Pizza to coffee shops and art studios. But every Saturday from Jan. 3 to April 4, it’s also home to one of Madison’s most well-known traditions: the farmer’s market.
While much smaller in scope and capacity than Capitol Square’s farmer’s market, the winter market offers a cozy atmosphere for patrons and farmers alike — giving market-goers the chance to not only take a reprieve from the cold, but build relationships with their favorite vendors and get fresh produce year-round.
When it originally opened at Garver Feed Mill in 2020, the Winter Farmers’ Market had to face an uphill battle. As the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown forced residents indoors, the market slowed.
But since then, stall owners and patrons alike said the Winter Farmers’ Market has come into its own, especially due to the availability of fresh produce.
With help and funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Cliff Gonyer, co-owner of Rockwell Ridge Farm, said local farmers have been able to grow more in the winter and draw in even more shoppers as a result.
“[Having produce] really helps us out,” Gonyer said. “I always tell [people] ‘look, without the greens, people aren’t coming here to buy my cookies.’”
When Gonyer talks about people at the market, he doesn’t just mean shoppers. In his ten years of working the farmer's market — which he said still makes him a “rookie” — regulars from all across Madison flock to his stand, and some of them he even considers friends.
For him, one of the best parts of the indoor market is its low-key tempo, which offers a larger opportunity for socializing, even at the cost of selling less.
“We get more time to socialize with our customers, our friends and our neighboring farmers,” Kingfisher Farm owner Caleb Swift said. “So [The Winter Farmers’ Market] is nice and cozy in that way.”
Building those connections was a common theme at the Winter Farmers’ Market, with owners regularly talking to enthused shoppers about everything from product sales to their kids and local news, all to the background hum of conversation.
“There are just more people in the summertime — especially tourists,” second-generation Land of O’s owner Alyda Oosterwyk said. “But we have a really strong local market here, so I have lots of regulars.”
With over 50 vendors, the market offers everything from homemade pastries and jams to freshly harvested vegetables, meat and even mushroom coffee.
“It’s like the perfect microcosm of the [Capitol Square] farmer’s market,” University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore Liz Geier said. “The fact that I can still buy kimchi and a bundle of flowers in the middle of February is honestly beautiful.”
