Farmers and Crafts Market of Las Cruces

The Farmers and Crafts Market of Las Cruces grew with early support from the Downtown Merchants Association, a link that still fits its seven-block run through Downtown Main Street. Open year-round, the market brings together over 200 local merchants along Main Street, with Saturday trading stretching from Bowman Avenue to the Main Street Roundabout and a Wednesday market at Plaza de Las Cruces. Its roots go back to the summer of 1971, when local farmers first gathered to sell produce before homemade bread, crafters, and artists joined in.

Why it matters locally

The market began in 1971 as a gathering of local farmers selling produce, then expanded as homemade bread, local crafters, and artists joined the lineup. That history still shows up in the market’s rules and emphasis: the site states that certain vendors must reside in Doña Ana County, musicians and performers can come from Doña Ana County, and goods sold by vendors are produced in the State of New Mexico.

Local institutions helped shape it early on, including the Downtown Merchants Association, the NMSU Extension Office, the League of Women Voters, and the City of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department. By 1981, a city ordinance designated the Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Board to oversee the market, tying it directly to civic stewardship in Las Cruces.

What you'll find there

This market’s mix leans heavily toward the overlap of farm goods, baked food, and handmade work, spread across a long downtown footprint rather than a single plaza setup. The vendor directory reads like a cross-section of Las Cruces makers, with farms, bakeries, bath and body sellers, woodworkers, potters, and pet-treat stands all represented.

• -Find Monticello Rural Farms among the market vendors.
• -Pick up eggs from Francisco Estrada- Eggs.
• -Shop McKean's Farm for farm goods.
• -Look for Kuhns Farm in the vendor roster.
• -Catch Carrasco Farms at the market.
• -Browse Reyes Green House for greenhouse-grown offerings.
• -Choose baked goods from Amy's Cookies and Creations.
• -Stop by Tecolote Confectionary for confectionary items.
• -Try Blush Riot Bakery.
• -Add bread from Fancy Bread Co. or Risen Bread.
• -Sample Renee's Bakery or Imago Dei Bakery & Cafe.
• -Pick up pantry-style goods from Chicken Scratch Pantry LLC.
• -Browse bath and body makers including Stink Weed Bath Products, SavonBar, and Ho Hawaiian Soap Company.
• -Shop wood-focused vendors such as A Cut Above Cutting Boards, Water Canyon Woodworking, and Ryan's Woodworks LLC.
• -Explore ceramics and pottery from Dragonfly Pottery, Pachamama Pottery, and Blue Horse Ceramics.
• -Check out pet-focused booths including Triple R Dog Treats, Barkarita Bites LLC, and Chocolate Paws.

Weekly markets run on both Saturday and Wednesday, with the Wednesday setup specifically listed at Plaza de Las Cruces.

Know before you go

The market covers seven blocks of Downtown Main Street, so arrival and meeting-point plans matter more here than at a compact lot market. Saturday trading is described along Main Street from Bowman Avenue up to the Main Street Roundabout, while Wednesday is listed at Plaza de Las Cruces.

Several free parking lots are available between Church Street and Water Street on Las Cruces Street, Organ Avenue, and Griggs Avenue. Public restrooms are behind the Rio Grande theatre off Water Street. Dogs are welcome, and an ATM is outside Sunflower Bank on Water Street behind the Museum of Nature & Science.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP is accepted here, and the market also lists WIC and Double Up Food Bucks among its payment and nutrition-benefit options. The EBT Booth is on the corner of Main Street and Las Cruces Avenue, a useful stop before you start walking the full market route.