Harvey Park Is Getting a New Farmers’ Market This Summer

There’s certainly no shortage of farmers’ markets in the greater metro area. There’s even a gluten-free market held once a month. But few are within an easy commute for residents of Harvey Park, which is somewhat surprising given that the neighborhood is within the highest-populated zip code in the city and has several urban farms nearby. This summer, that will change.

Most people who can’t find certain items on their shopping list just try a different grocery store. But not Allie Bronston, who decided to establish an entirely new farmers’ market instead. 

On May 2, she and her husband, Corey Sampson, will celebrate the debut of the Harvey Park Farmers Market. The project has been a nearly two-year journey to bring fresh, local products to the southwest Denver neighborhood. More than fifty vendors are scheduled to appear in the parking lot of the Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy at 2250 South Quitman Street, which borders the namesake park. All were selected to meet a specific need based on the items on a typical grocery list.

“We really wanted a one-stop grocery shop for people,” says Bronston. “We went through our own grocery list and went down into very specific categories, and tried to recruit (vendors) based on that. So someone could show up and outsource all of their Kroger or Whole Foods shopping here, for the most part.”

When it launches, Athmar Farms, Fleisher Family Farm and Rebel Farm — which supplies top-tier restaurants including Michelin-starred spots Alma Fonda Fina, the Wolf’s Tailor and Bruto — will bring their produce to the market.

“This is our first farmers’ market, which we see as an opportunity to get involved in the community and make our produce more accessible,” says Rebel Farm’s James O’Brien. “We connected with Allie early on when she literally walked over to our farm. She had a clear understanding of what she wanted to build and who she wanted to cater to with this market.”  

It’s also the first and so-far only appearance at a farmers’ market by hummus savant Hummus Capara, as well as Skinny P. Ranch, which will provide poultry and eggs. Other food vendors include Up NXT Denver pop-up cohort Sfoglina, Joy Hill pizza, bakery GetRight’s, Taco Bella and many others. 

“We wanted a producer-only market, so you have to produce or grow your product if you’re bringing it here to sell,” Bronston says. “But we also wanted a community vibe that feels down-to-earth, accessible and unpretentious. We wanted a place that feels accessible to young families as well.”

To create this “third space” environment, the school’s two-tier layout fits the bill. Vendors and customers will take up the lower tier. Just slightly above lies a playground, faux-grass field and built-in pavilion that will host the music acts the couple has lined up for the market events. 

It’s a location Bronston first saw a decade ago while attending a fair on the school grounds. At the time, “I said, ‘This would be an amazing place for a farmers’ market,'” she recalls. “For years afterwards, every few months, I would say there should be a farmers’ market here. We kept waiting for someone else to do it.”

In the fall of 2024, she decided to be that person. But how exactly does one establish a farmers’ market? 

First, you need a venue. While most farmers’ markets are on city land, requiring a long list of city permits, a call to their city councilman revealed that Kunsmiller Academy is essentially private land owned by Denver Public Schools. Although that somewhat streamlined the permitting part of the equation, it was still a “stressful” undertaking as the school’s permitting process didn’t initially account for multi-month recurring events. 

Without a full season of permits in place, the market couldn’t apply to accept SNAP benefits from the USDA, resulting in a chicken-or-egg waiting game that proved the biggest point of stress in the entire effort. 

Eventually, the space was secured, dates were put in place and work began to recruit vendors — a less bureaucratic but no less detailed process. The couple visited each farm in person and reached out to vendors one by one, selling each on their vision while trying to convince them to commit to appearing at an untested market with no guarantee of sales. 

Now, the couple’s efforts are focused on driving foot traffic. They’ve built a website and an Instagram account with just over 1,000 followers and enlisted the help of a PR firm. Vendors are also putting the word out to their channels, and neighbors are putting up yard signs to promote the market.

Bronston estimates she has been putting in about twenty hours a week to get the market off the ground (without pay) while raising children and working as a school librarian. But she says she’d happily do it all again, and not just to fill her grocery list. 

“It’s made us feel connected to a network of people we never would have encountered. …Really impressive people doing really cool things with really beautiful food,” she says. “I would say it’s been meaningful work.”

Harvey Park Farmers Market will be located in the parking lot of Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy at 2250 South Quitman Street and is set to open on May 2. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through October. For more information, visit harveyparkfarmersmarket.com or follow @harveyparkfarmersmarket on Instagram.