Flint Farmers Market

McLaren Health Plan is one of the sponsors tied to Flint Farmers Market, a year-round public market in Flint with 50-plus vendors and an added outdoor vendor group from May through October. Inside the market, the mix spans produce vendors, a meat market, poultry, breads and baked goods, cheese, a wine shop, an art gallery, a cafe, and Middle Eastern and Mexican groceries. That combination makes this stop feel more like a daily-use public market than a produce-only setup, with permanent indoor vendors carrying the market through the full year and seasonal outdoor sellers expanding the mix in warmer months.

Why it matters locally

Established in 1905, Flint Farmers Market has been part of the city for more than a century, and its history includes moves along the Flint River, a downtown period on Union Street, and a later building erected by WPA workers. The market’s revitalization is also tied to Flint institutions including C.S. Mott, Ruth Mott, and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, with Uptown Reinvestment Corporation assuming management control from the City of Flint.

Its local role goes beyond retail. The market describes partnerships and programs around nutrition education and food access with Michigan State Extension, GISD, the Michigan State University School of Public Health, Hurley Children’s Clinic, and Genesee County social service agencies.

What you'll find there

The strongest pattern here is breadth: permanent indoor businesses cover food, flowers, gifts, and art, while the broader market includes produce vendors, meat, poultry, breads and baked goods, cheese, a wine shop, a cafe, and specialty groceries. That means a trip can combine pantry shopping with prepared food, plants, and locally made work under one roof.

• -Find Beirut Restaurant for homemade fresh hummus, tabouli, garlic sauce, baba ghanoush made daily, plus Middle Eastern grocery items, spices, and a full menu.
• -Pick up artisan popcorn at Bongo’s, where sweet and savory flavors are made fresh daily.
• -Shop Brumley & Bloom for flowers, plants, pottery, and a selection that includes unique and rare plants.
• -Browse Art at the Market Gallery for original artwork and handmade pieces by local artists.
• -Order from Charlie’s Smokin’ Bar-BQ, an indoor BBQ vendor described as a take-out spot.
• -Stop by Hills’ Cheese for cheese, including holiday cheese selections highlighted by the market.
• -Look for Market Tap when its holiday cocktail menu is running through the end of the year.
• -Catch Granny’s Blooms for seasonal flower offerings, including holiday blooms.
• -Visit AATM, an artist-operated gallery with work from more than 25 local artists.
• -Note Crust Bakery as part of the indoor vendor mix and as a point across from Art at the Market Gallery.

The market’s event trail includes a 10 year celebration held in June 2024, references to the original BBQ Battles at the old market on East Boulevard Drive, and a period when the market shifted online to keep serving customers during Covid.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, which is the detail most likely to change plans before you arrive. On-site parking is available at the market, making access simpler if you are shopping across several indoor vendors rather than making a quick single-stall stop. The market operates at 300 East First Street in Flint and has a year-round indoor setup with additional outside vendors from May through October. It lists more than 50 vendors overall, with about fifty permanent year-round vendors inside and roughly twenty-five additional outside vendors in the warmer season.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP EBT is accepted at Flint Farmers Market, and the market also names Bridge Card use and Double Up Food Bucks as part of its food-access programs. The market further references Project Fresh and partnerships built around supplemental SNAP benefits and nutrition education, showing that payment access here is tied to broader food-access efforts in Flint.