By Melissa Wagoner
Customers greeted each other with hugs and handshakes in the warmth of Silver Falls Bread Co. in Silverton Nov. 19 during the Late Season Saturday Market.
“The idea was, as far as I can tell, Stacy Higby’s,” Dan Lliteras, owner of Silver Falls Bread Co. explained.
“Years past, a handful of local producers continued to meet informally in the parking lot where the Farmer’s Market is held. Stacy was interested in finding an indoor space so everyone could stay warm and dry. I was very happy to offer up the bakery.”
Currently there are six vendors meeting every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, sharing tables and selling everything from late season vegetables and fruits to meats, flours, pasta and of course fresh bread baked by Lliteras himself.
“So far, it’s been a great success,” Stacy Higby, owner of Forest Meadow Farm said.
“It’s been wonderful for us as vendors to be able to connect with our customers throughout the year, and the customers really seem to enjoy the opportunity to continue their support of these vendors.”
Lliteras and Higby plan to continue the Late Season Saturday Market until the summer market opens in May.
“As a vendor, it’s important for our business that our customers have a consistent way to purchase our products all year long so that we don’t lose our customers during the winter months,” Higby said.
“My husband Mike and the other vendors have been meeting customers at Town Square Park on Saturdays for several years, between October and May when the Farmer’s Market is on hiatus. For the vendors, and for the customers, it was often a cold and rainy production that didn’t lend itself to the fun, social interactions the Farmer’s Market provides.
“But now, in the warmth of Dan’s bread shop, we’re able to recapture some of the feeling of the Farmer’s Market, while we connect with customers and with the other vendors.”
