Douglass Farmers' Market

People’s Food Co-op appears in the market’s own programming alongside farm vendors, a clue that Douglass Farmers' Market has long tied produce shopping to broader neighborhood food access work. Set at the Douglass Community Association on West Paterson Street, the market runs on Tuesday afternoons in summer and centers the Northside Neighborhood of Kalamazoo in both location and purpose. Its stated goals are direct: increase access to local, healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate produce while creating an enjoyable, educational, and safe event that brings people together around food sovereignty in the Northside.

Why it matters locally

The Northside Neighborhood of Kalamazoo is named in the market’s mission, not just its map pin. Douglass Farmers' Market describes its role as increasing access to local, healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate produce in the neighborhood, and pairs that food-access goal with an emphasis on education, safety, and gathering space.

That local focus is reinforced by the organizations around it. The market is a program of the Douglass Community Association and is linked with Fair Food Matters through market management and contact information. It also lists support from the USDA, the Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, while maintaining membership in the Michigan Farmers Market Association and the Farmers’ Market Coalition.

What you'll find there

The vendor mix leans heavily toward produce, gardens, and small farm offerings, with a few specialty items woven in from neighborhood-scale sellers. Several listings are simple vendor names, but the named products that do appear point to a market built around seasonal harvests rather than a fixed year-round lineup.

• -Bonamego Farm brings a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and flowers that shift through the growing season.
• -Growing Matters Garden sells seasonal herbs and cooking greens, including green beans, celery, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, salad mix, and radishes.
• -Douglass Community Garden with the Kalamazoo Nature Center is part of the market’s 2014 vendor roster.
• -DeLeo Farm is listed among the market’s featured vendors for the season.
• -Iboni Rootz appears on the market vendor list for 2014.
• -Long Valley Farm is included in the market’s featured vendor roster.
• -Tin Star Farm is named as one of the season’s vendors.
• -Underhill Farm is also listed as a market vendor.
• -Mz Marilyn is noted for peanut butter cookies in the market specials.
• -Scents 4 Cents appears on the market vendor list as a non-produce seller.

Programming extended beyond shopping on some dates. The calendar highlights a June 3 invitation to greet friends and neighbors, and a September 3 visit from the Fresh Food Fairy with popcorn and bike-powered smoothies.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed at this market. If that affects your routine, plan to leave pets at home before heading to 1000 West Paterson Street at the Douglass Community Association.

The market keeps a focused weekly schedule, operating on Tuesdays from 3 to 6pm during its June through September season. Management is identified as Mike Hoag, with market contact routed through Fair Food Matters, which matters if you are coordinating around programs or vendor questions rather than making a quick drop-in visit. Restrooms are not available on site. Growing Matters Garden’s produce is described as grown down the street at Woodward School, a reminder that some offerings are tied closely to the surrounding neighborhood.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Douglass Farmers' Market. The market materials also reference Double Up Food Bucks, Market Fresh, Senior Fresh, WIC Fresh Coupons, and a Douglass Dollar currency, pointing to a payment setup designed to widen food access rather than limit it to cash shoppers.