Editor’s Note: We have created a simple guide to the Conway Farmers Markets for 2018.
There’s no better place to buy fresh produce than a farmer’s market. The food is guaranteed to be local, the money benefits your community directly, and any questions you have can be answered on the spot by the person who grew the food. If it was convenient, there’d be no reason to shop anywhere else; however, finding a local farmer’s market can be a bit tricky. With limited hours on specific days and not much in the way of advertising, if you’re not well connected or very lucky, you can have a hard time figuring out where and when to go to secure your fresh fruits and veggies.
All that said, we put in some leg work so you don’t have to and compiled a useful list of local markets, their hours of operation, and where you can find them in this great big city (okay, small college town).
Downtown Conway Farmers’ and Crafts Market
Location: 718 Parkway St. – In the heart of downtown Conway, on the other side of the tracks from Front Street between Conway Corp and City Hall. Locals may be confused to learn that this market relocated after years of operating next to the Patio Cafe, but it’s still the same market we’ve grown to know and love, just with a more central downtown location.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7 AM to 1 PM. Opens in May and stays open until the end of October.
Highlights: Local honey, a huge variety of leafy greens, plenty of handmade crafts, and super knowledgeable vendors.
More Info: https://www.facebook.com/downtownconwayfarmersandcraftsmarket/
Conway Farmers’ Market
Location: 150 Amity Rd. – In the parking lot of the Antioch Baptist Church next to the freeway, just off the Dave Ward exit. Following Amity Road, it sits between Crain Kia of Conway and Furniture Row (if you get to Target and Home Depot, you’ve passed it by quite a bit).
Hours of Operation: Every Saturday from April through September and every Tuesday in June and July, from 7 AM to 12 PM.
Highlights: Buckets of fresh strawberries (get them while they’re in season), Handmade soap in every scent you could ask for, gluten-free baked goods (if you’re into that), and the most vendors of any local farmers’ market.
More Info: https://www.facebook.com/ConwayFarmersMktAntioch/
Conway Locally Grown
Location: 925 Mitchell Street – This is a pickup location for orders placed online. Hosted in St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on the corner of Prince and Mitchell across from Conway Jr. High. The market itself is online at conway.locallygrown.net.
Hours of Operation: Pickup is every Friday from 4 PM to 6 PM, the website is refreshed every Sunday and ordering takes place from Sunday to Tuesday at 8 PM.
Highlights: Only online farmer’s market in Conway, ultra convenient ordering process, runs year round.
More Info: https://conway.locallygrown.net/
Wrapping it up
These markets all allow the opportunity for your family to enjoy locally grown food, right to your table, as well as various crafts, soap, baked goods, and more. You also have a chance to meet and mingle with local farmers.
Wells is a freelance writer specializing in fiction and narrative commentary. A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas’s English program, Wells spends much of his time at Blue Sail Coffee, frantically writing down articles for this website or editing a novel that’s just one fifteen more drafts from being complete.