Students who frequent the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the square every Saturday morning understand its one-of-a-kind energy. The average Madisonian would almost surely cite the market on the square as the magnum opus of Wisconsin farmers’ markets. Not only a marketplace for regional farmers and merchants, the square functions as a “third space” for community members and students to socialize and make their voices heard. You would be hard-pressed to find yourself caught between a twenty-person line for spicy cheese bread to your right and a group of anti-evolutionists to your left anywhere besides the market on the square.
But the Dane County Market — regardless of its notoriety — is just one of Madison’s many farmers’ markets. For students seeking a serene Sunday morning reset or a change of scenery from the impressive but chaotic market on the square, the Monroe Street Farmers’ Market is an equally accessible — just off the D bus line — spot for students, especially those living around Camp Randall and the Lakeshore dorms, to get their weekly dose of fresh produce, baked goods and window-shopping.
In a way, the Monroe Street Market’s slow-paced environment complements the high-energy and quick-moving foot traffic by the Capitol on Saturday mornings. Co-owner of Morren Orchard and Nursery Henry Morren highlighted some of the key differences between the two markets.
Morren has been a part of the Dane County Market for 23 years and the Monroe Street Market for 13. He said joining the Monroe Street market provided opportunities to cater to a more consistent market. With a slower pace and regular customers, Morren said the Monroe Street Market allowed him more time to explain to customers their unusual inventory of apples.
On the other hand, the market on the square, which Morren described as lively and personal in its own fashion, may not be as suited for the kind of one-on-one interaction between customers and vendors as the Monroe Street Market may be.
“When it’s really busy on the square, you don’t have time to really talk to people,” Morren said. “The Monroe Street Market allows you to make a deeper connection with the customer.”
But this year’s rain and humidity have diminished Morren Orchard’s apple crop, so this season the orchard will only be vending at the Dane County Market, focusing on the market that receives the most foot traffic.
Though the parking lot is packed only fifteen minutes after the 9 a.m. opening time, the market feels incredibly breathable and digestible. A quiet energy radiates among the customers as they make their regular stops for farmers’ market tokens like fresh produce, flowers and coffee.
The only noticeably long line was at 9:30 in the morning for Bloom Bake Shop, where Madison local Rachel Lebedinsky compared her experiences with the Monroe Street and Capitol Square markets.
“The one on the square, if you don’t go early, is very overwhelming and busy, and I feel like it’s more of an activity than a farmers’ market,” Lebedinsky said. “If friends come into town, that’s where you take them. They have a lot of stuff, which is really nice, but it can just get really stressful. I feel like this is a lot more casual.”
The Monroe Street Market’s casual manner creates an atmosphere fit for community interaction, as one can spot vendors and customers alike striking up conversations with each other.
Vendor Mihoko Tara’s stand, called “Daikon Mama,” is new to the market, and she sells foods infused with Daikon, a Japanese vegetable that aids digestion.
Tara said the market on the square is great, and she enjoys perusing the copious number of vendors, and she values the capability to talk to more people at the Monroe Street Market.
A common theme among the local farmers’ markets is that there is something for everyone.
“I love this market because there are plant swap stations, art projects for kids, music … it’s fun for everybody,” Tara said.
Similarly, whether you’re a customer looking to buy “Wisconsin’s Most Famous Cookies” or an advocate participating in a protest, the market on the square functions as a unique hub for community engagement and interaction.
In a time when third spaces — places outside of the home and the workplace where people go to connect with their community — are disappearing, and people are increasingly cemented into their respective echo chambers and social groups, local farmers’ markets, like those on the square and Monroe Street, create a space for community members to socialize and connect with others in a relaxed environment.
“The farmers’ markets have become, really, a melting pot,” Morren said. “People from all walks of life are there with each other … It’s a really great way for people to be with all kinds of other people.”
The Dane County Farmers’ Market is a Madison staple and rightfully so. But for students who thrive in a more relaxed environment, who want to put off the Sunday Scaries or who simply want to explore more of what Madison’s farmers, craftspeople and shopkeepers have to offer, the Monroe Street Market might just be their new Sunday morning tradition.
