Located in the heart of Oxford at the Old Armory Pavilion, Oxford Community Market hosts a variety of vendors eager to share their livelihoods with the community. From Southern Sweets to Farmstead Florals, each contributor brings a unique essence to the market, creating a blend of culture and cuisine. On any given Tuesday from 3 to 6:30 p.m., the venue is brimming with an aroma of coffee beans, bright hues of yellow squash and violet flowers and the sound of live music and chatter.
“It’s an incredible, diverse mix of people from all walks of life. From the vendors to the customers, and the volunteers who are community partners, it’s just like a vortex of goodwill,” said Betsy Chapman, the director of Oxford Community Market.
Chapman became involved with Oxford Community Market more than seven years ago. Prior to her current position, she worked at Yokna Bottoms Farm.
“Working on a farm and selling at markets gave me a lot of insight into what causes vendors to be successful,” Chapman said.
The market is a product of consistent dedication and collaboration of the community, Chapman said.
“I think farmers’ markets are innately just DIY projects. Not one person does everything all at once,” Chapman said. “It takes all of these people coming together, bringing their time, energy and willingness to serve to make this possible.”
Even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the market continued to create a sense of community and inclusivity, implementing social distancing and innovating new ways to serve its people. While in-person gatherings ceased, a sense of community persisted through neighborhood garden projects, online markets and outreach programs.
“We’ve got 25 or 30 vendors coming here, and it took a lot of work to get here. They’re very talented, skilled and creative people,” Chapman said.
Justevia & Gambia’s Kitchen seeks to raise awareness about the scarcity of Black women in the farming and culinary industry. While selling their products at Oxford Community Market, Justevia “aims to help people make healthier beverage substitutions by using stevia as sweetener,” and Gambia’s Kitchen strives to “bridge the gap between West African and Southern U.S. cuisine,” according to one of their flyers.
With certified natural and Fair Trade products, Athena Coffee Roasters connects with farmers and their farming practices to understand if they meet strict organic certification guidelines.
Serving 10 types of fresh fried pies, Southern Sweets & More showcases a variety of desserts, all prepared and sold by a pair of women passionate about engaging with customers and greeting them with a genuine sense of hospitality.
David Harris, owner of Harris Family Farm, showcases a variety of fresh produce from basil to pink bananas grown in Water Valley.
“Our plants are certified naturally grown, and we make most of our potting soil,” Harris said.
Chapman emphasized the organization’s mission to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
“This is kind of like a stage where anybody can participate and share,” Chapman said. “We work with students studying community nutrition, dietetics, marketing and social entrepreneurship who all do projects or service learning at the market, and we work with the (University of Mississippi) Associated Student Body and the Office of Sustainability to do pop-up markets on campus.”
Chapman also said that her team aspires to shed light on food and nutrition insecurity in the Oxford area. Along with the weekly market, the organization places pop-up produce distributions in local neighborhoods in need of healthy produce, and it provides areas with food insecurity useful information about the market and assistance programs.
“Oxford Community Market is not just putting up posters on the Square. We’re going to go out and put up posters at corner stores, laundromats, community centers to make sure we are reaching out to everyone,” Chapman said.
By partnering with United Way, Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi and Move on Up Mississippi, customers using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are provided with a dollar-for-dollar match, for up to $20.
To be a part of Oxford Community Market is “a wonderful thing to witness because many people gather here every week, with customers, vendors all in one spot, all of us doing different activities. It’s wild. It’s chaotic. It’s kind of a very beautiful thing,” Chapman said.
As fall semester classes begin, Oxford Community Market welcomes students and members of the community to volunteer with their organization by visiting their website or Instagram (@oxcm) to learn more.
