From veggies to slushies, Hampton farmer’s market offers something for everyone

The weekly farmer’s market at Hampton Community Park offers more than just an opportunity for local businesses to sell fresh produce and handmade commodities.

One family has used the farmer’s market business to help an autistic member.

Stacey Gray of Indiana Township needed to find something for her 21-year-old son to do so that he could keep busy.

Hugh suffers from severe autism, and now that he is finished with school, he doesn’t have much to do with his time.

“We needed to get Hugh involved in something, especially after covid. We saw that he had an interest in horticulture, so we started growing herbs and veggie plants to sell here at the market. His business is called Hugh’s Heirloom Herbs,” said Stacey.

Now, Hugh loves it. He is deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of growing and maintaining the plants.

“This is the second year that we have done this, and last year we started out growing stuff in our garage. But this year, a local greenhouse let Hugh grow his plants on their space, and our quantities have doubled,” his mother said.

There was another first for the Gray family at the market on July 12. It had been a longtime goal of Hugh’s to come to the market and help his mother prepare the stand and get everything ready to sell.

“He came today, and he did great. He helped me set everything up, and he even stayed for about a half hour and dealt with customers,” said Stacey.

She is proud of her son, but the entire family is full of creative people. Stacey is an art teacher by trade, and her mother quilts. Other items sold at the family stand are hand-sewn products like purses, eyeglass cases and pillows.

“We had all this extra fabric from my mother, so I figured we should add to our business,” Stacey said. “So now we do both out of one stand. I handle the sewing, and Hugh does the plants.”

Local family businesses are scattered throughout the parking lot on market day.

The event started in 2019 and now runs from 3-7 p.m. every Wednesday beginning the first week of June and ending in mid-October. The market brings food trucks and local vendors from all over.

Family-owned farms like Carlos Aviles Farm in Ohio bring fresh produce each week. Giant ripe peaches, hot banana peppers and almost any fresh produce can be found at prices comparable to grocery stores.

“We even have elderberry plants and blackberry plants. You can plant them, and then you’ll get fresh berries,” said Aviles.

Lisa Mantella of Hampton brought her kids to the market after their day camp.

“I like that it’s all fresh and local. We came once last year, and now we came again. It’s great. The prices aren’t bad, either,” she said.

Food’s not the only thing selling at the market. Handmade creations like the sewn bows, scrub caps and other nifty items made by Katie Matecka of Hampton are on display, as well.

“Business is usually steady. It all depends on the food trucks. If there is a lot of food trucks, there is usually a lot of people,” said Matecka, owner of Modish Makes.

Another favorite of market goers is wine slushies made by Mazzota Winery of Gibsonia. All Mazzota wine is made from real fruit, and they offer non-alcoholic slushies, as well.

Lissa Shulman comes to the market just about every week, and she really enjoys the wine slushies.

“They are great. Plus, they have slushies for the kids,” she said.

Handmade soap is another product sold at the market. Laura Bogacz of Richland brings her cold processed bars of soap each week.

“I use all natural oils and butters. Everything is palm-free. We make soap, and bath bombs as well as shower steamers and lip balm,” said Bogacz.

She even has a vegan variety that is made with vegan sugar and no beef tallow.

Local handmade items and homegrown veggies are continuing to gain popularity, and weekly farmer’s markets are part of a growing trend around the country. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farmer’s Market Directory, the numbers have grown from 2,000 in 1994 to about 8,600 today.