A Fresh Season and a Fresh Face at the State Street Farmers Market
Saturday, May 2, gave the State Street Farmers Market the kind of opening day every market hopes for: sun, steady foot traffic, and vendors already selling out before the morning was over.
Looking down the rows, the first thing I noticed was the color. Morning sun caught the jars of honey and fruit preserves, and a few tables down, bottles of herbal tinctures glowed amber and green. Fresh vegetables added their own color to the mix, from crisp greens to deep reds and bright yellows.
Another common sight on opening day was how many vendors had nearly nothing left on their tables. At the Glenmary Farms booth, they had only a few empty berry cartons and exactly eleven small jars of preserves left to display.
When I asked what happened, they were happy to report that they had sold out of their strawberries—grown in their state-of-the-art greenhouse—and almost everything else by early morning.
Meeting the New State Street Farmers Market Manager
As we worked our way toward the back of the market, almost everyone we tried to talk to was juggling customers. There were familiar faces, new vendors, and not many quiet moments.
We were there to cover opening day, but we also had a secondary mission: to track down and officially welcome Ava White, the new State Street Farmers Market Manager.
When we finally caught up with her in the crowd, I opened with the obvious question.
“How did you get suckered into this?” I joked.
Ava laughed. “So, I just graduated from college at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga in December, and so I’ve been looking for a job, and just so happened to find one in my local hometown.”
With a new marketing degree, the role makes sense. Ava was born in Kingsport and raised in Bristol, with deep roots in the region. Still, stepping into a job that coordinates so many vendors, schedules, personalities, and moving parts for the market’s 27th season is no small thing.
“I think any new thing has a learning curve, so that’s obviously going to be a challenge at first,” Ava admitted. “But I’m excited to get it down and learn the nitty-gritty aspects.”
She is already thinking about what comes next. “My goals are to definitely grow the market a bit, definitely get it present on social media, and grow the marketing for it. I’d like to have some special events,” she told us.
We told her we were glad to see a local person stepping into the role, and we will be watching to see how her marketing background shapes the season.
Farms, Flocks, and Flowers
If Ava is looking for stories to tell, she won’t need to look far.
Down the aisle, Keith and Sabrina Fleenor were busy representing Fleenor Meats, a three-generation family operation. Their work matters beyond the meat and eggs they bring to market. In the spring of 2020, they purchased the Washington County Meat Packing facility. By offering custom and USDA-inspected processing, they help provide the infrastructure other regional livestock farmers need to bring their meats to customers.
At the Ziegenwald Dairy booth, they had brought goat cheeses down from Gate City, Virginia. Their cheeses are made from their own herd under a Grade A Dairy license, without hormones or antibiotics. Because goats are seasonal milk producers, their offerings can change from week to week, which makes checking in with them part of the fun.
Jill O’Dell’s Honey Blossoms Farm brought flowers and honey from the Holston Valley. They specialize in seasonal cut flowers and small-batch raw honey from their own apiary. Their setup is hard to miss, especially when “Olive,” their mobile flower bar mini-truck, is parked nearby.
For locally raised meat, Bob Cannon’s Rock Ledge Farm is a steady presence. Located just down Henson Road in Bristol, the family-run farm focuses on grass-fed and finished lean beef from its own herd of Registered Dexter Cattle.
Apothecaries, Skincare, and Sweets
Hawk’s Nest Homestead had the kind of table that makes you slow down: oatmeal raisin cookies and snack bars on one side, specialty tea blends, culinary herbs, and small-batch herbal tinctures on the other. They make the trip from Limestone, Tennessee, and bring a mix of baked goods and handcrafted apothecary items.
Copper Creek Organics had soaps, lotions, beard oils, and body butters made in Bristol, with scents like Honeysuckle and Coconut Lime drawing plenty of attention. Their work keeps the traditional Appalachian domestic art of soap-making alive while still making room for modern skincare staples.
Stone Mountain Apiaries brought plenty of traditional honey, but their hot honey hex jars were hard to ignore. Jalapeño, Habanero, and Smoked Pepper-infused honey caught the light on the table, and they balanced the heat with beeswax-based solid lotion bars.
The Wild Yeast Company Cottage Bakers brought the kind of sweet-and-savory spread that can make a Saturday morning market dangerous for anyone with a sweet tooth. Their sourdough browned-butter chocolate chip cookies stood out alongside custom vanilla-infused sugars and unique dipping spices.
Fresh Harvests and Hidden Gems
Laurel Brooks Farm offered a reminder of just how varied Appalachian agriculture can be. The farm produces fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meats from two locations: 389 Freestone Valley Road in Tannersville, Virginia, and Lovins Private Drive here in Bristol.
The Bristol location is run by owner Sondra Alan, who balances her farm work with her career as a practicing family law attorney. Using organic, pasture-raised, and wild-harvested practices, Laurel Brooks Farm has become part of the region’s sustainable food network.
Moon Fire Farm Microgreens is the kind of vendor that rewards in-person attendance. With most of their presence built through word of mouth and a modest Instagram account, the market is the best place to see their rotating selection of fresh, seasonal microgreens.
Vendors like Bristol Roasters and CFLM Farms also remind us that not every good local product comes with a big online footprint. Bristol Roasters is a hyper-local operation whose story is best learned face-to-face, and CFLM Farms relies on foot traffic and the market community to sell its farm-fresh eggs.
Looking Ahead
We left the State Street Farmers Market with full bags, fewer notes than planned because everyone was so busy, and the sense that the season is off to a strong start.
With a strong lineup of farmers, bakers, growers, and makers—and with Ava White stepping in to help shape the market’s next chapter—Bristol’s Saturday mornings look like they are in good hands.
