Celebrating Community at the Ruston Farmers Market

By: TLP's Partners

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Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Ruston Farmers Market comes alive as locals gather at 220 East Mississippi Avenue to shop, mingle, and celebrate community. Housed in a bright, mural-adorned building that’s as colorful as the market itself, this vibrant hub offers fresh produce, handcrafted goods, and a warm welcome to all who step inside.

The exterior of the Ruston Farmers Market in Ruston, Louisiana showcases a garden and a colorful mural of fresh food, flowers, and bright skies.

In 2007, Ruston locals decided it was time to take charge and give the town something they felt was missing: a farmer’s market. The market began operating in parking lots and temporary locations across town for many years before acquiring a permanent building 2015. To mark the occasion, artists from Louisiana Tech’s School of Design decorated the interior and exterior with large, colorful murals that feature depictions of fresh produce and flowers. The colorful designs leap off the walls and into the booths as vendors set up their stalls every week, filling them with seasonal produce and handmade items ranging from woodworks to skincare and mix-media jewelry.

Despite the abundance of products available at the market, the space assumes many different roles for the Ruston community.

“I’m a little biased, but my favorite part of the farmer’s market is the relationships, the connection aspect and feeling like we’ve created a space for people to come and cheer each other on,” says Whitney Hebert, market coordinator for the Ruston Farmers Market.

The market strives to promote sustainability, from encouraging sustainable bag use to seasonal eating, and provides a stable environment for small businesses to sell their products on a consistent basis.

Seven adults chop fresh vegetables at the Drew Jones Teaching Kitchen in Ruston, Louisiana.

“Every dollar spent at our farmer’s market, whether it’s through cash, or through our SNAP program incentives, is change in our vendors’ pockets so that they’re able to invest directly into their operations,” says Hebert.

The Ruston Farmers Market expands on its teaching opportunities with the Drew Jones Teaching Kitchen. The year-old kitchen was inspired by and dedicated to the late board member Drew Jones, who was deeply passionate about community and food education. The kitchen hosts classes on Thursdays taught by local chefs and restaurant owners that reflect the diverse cuisine of Ruston. The kitchen also partners with the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center to host several free classes that focus on building a balanced plate in economical ways, whether it’s at the farmer’s market or the grocery store, and eating locally and seasonally.

“The kitchen really brings our mission to life as being about connection, education, and food access,” says Hebert.

A vendor at Ruston Farmers Market in Ruston, Louisiana gives a black gift bag to two customers.

The market offers additional events that bring members of the community together regardless of age. After a large show of support at the market’s 15th anniversary celebration, board members expanded the array of events offered, such as Ruston Farmers Market at Night. This specific event is a tangent of the Saturday market, where vendors from the community, small businesses, or the farmers provide special offerings in the evening.

With a grant received from the Jonesboro State Bank, the market also hosted a young entrepreneur workshop, where they held a youth booth program. At this event kids could set up their booths at five free markets to kick off their small businesses or test their ideas. Then the market had a final workshop where vendors spoke about small businesses and young entrepreneurial ventures.

“We have music in the background, we have activities, we try to cater to everybody, and that’s the vendors, our seniors, our family units, our kids, so that everyone kind of feels celebrated,” says Hebert.

The Ruston encouragement extends to other individual markets and farms, such as Mitcham Farms, a historic peach farm started in 1946.

Two farmers sell lettuce and microgreens at the Ruston Farmers Market in Ruston, Louisiana.

“We’re all on the same team, so we love Mitcham Farms,” says Hebert. “We love our peaches, and you can’t get enough here in Ruston.”

Coming up on its 17th anniversary, the Ruston Farmers Market has plans to move to a bigger and better location within the next couple of years. The new market will be right next to the historic Ruston Fire Station. This switch will provide more space for vendors to sell their goods and for customers to flow in and out of the market.

“It’s really such an incredible feeling to have relationships, friendships, and connections with your local producers and farmers, and it should be available to everyone,” says Hebert. “So come on down, everyone is welcome.”

Learn more at RustonFarmersMarket.org.