Empire Farmers Market

Empire Farmers Market sits within the Leelanau Farmers Markets network, where MSU Extension serves in an advisory role for the nonprofit association that runs the county’s markets. In Empire, that translates to a Saturday market downtown next to the post office at 10234 Front Street, with a summer run from early June through late August. The market’s setup is straightforward: one weekly stop in the center of town, tied into a countywide organization focused on locally produced farm and food products for the Leelanau community. SNAP is accepted here as well, which matters for regular food shopping, not just occasional browsing.

Why it matters locally

The Leelanau Farmers’ Market Association’s mission is “to provide locally produced farm and food products for the benefit of the Leelanau Community,” and Empire Farmers Market is one of the places where that mission shows up in weekly practice. The association became an independent nonprofit in 2014, operates under a board made up of vendors and community members, and works with MSU Extension in an advisory role.

That structure matters because the market is part of a broader county system that links growers, prepared-food producers, and shoppers across several Leelanau towns, including Empire’s Saturday stop. The association also frames farmers markets as a win-win for Leelanau County because they expand access to fresh, quality products while helping support local farms and food businesses.

What you'll find there

Empire’s vendor roster leans clearly toward farm names, homesteads, and gardens, which gives the market a producer-centered feel rather than a resale mix. The wider Leelanau Farmers Markets vendor guide also points shoppers toward browsing by vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy and eggs, baked goods, honey and maple syrup, flowers and nursery products, prepared food, and crafts and non-food products.

• -Find La Casa Verde Produce at the market as part of the Empire vendor lineup.
• -Look for Full Circle Lavender Farm among the participating vendors.
• -Bluebird Farm & Gardens appears on the Empire market roster.
• -The Lively Farm is listed as one of the market’s vendors.
• -Bay Meadow Farms joins the Empire lineup.
• -Hallstedt Homestead is included on the vendor list for this market.
• -Homestead Hill CSA / Bardenhagen Berries is part of the Empire market roster.
• -Jim Kelderhouse Farm is another named vendor at this market.
• -Rooted in Permaculture rounds out the listed Empire vendors.

Beyond weekly shopping, the association calendar and news also connect the markets to occasional special programming. One example is the Leelanau Farm-to-Table Dinner, a fundraising dinner held at Willowbrook Mill in Northport on September 12, 2023. Empire’s strongest thread is how firmly it is placed within a countywide farmers market culture rather than standing alone. The market is downtown next to the post office at 10234 Front Street, a location that reads as an easy, everyday stop in Empire’s center. At the same time, it shares an umbrella with other Leelanau market sites in Glen Arbor, Leland, Northport, and Suttons Bay, all organized through the same association. That larger organization has also supported one-day indoor farmers markets inside area schools in Leland, Glen Lake, Northport, and Suttons Bay, which adds another layer to the market network’s public presence. Even the agritourism note around the Leelanau Farm-to-Table Dinner suggests a market system that extends beyond the stall line into county food events.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, which is the clearest visit detail likely to affect how you plan your stop. The market meets downtown next to the post office at 10234 Front Street, so the easiest way to orient yourself is to head for that Front Street location rather than searching for a separate fairground or park entrance. There are no restrooms listed in the market’s visitor details, so it helps to plan the stop as a shorter errand-style visit. Empire’s market takes place only on Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM during its June 6 through August 29 season, so the window is limited compared with year-round markets.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Empire Farmers Market, a useful detail if you’re shopping here as part of your regular weekly food budget. The market’s visitor details also indicate that payment methods are clearly communicated, which can make planning purchases more straightforward at the stand level.