Farmers Market Binds Generations
in South Bend, Indiana

PAUL GOETTLICH / South Bend Tribune 22jul1999

[More by Paul Goettlich]

Customers line up for some fresh vegetables Saturday at the Glenn Vite vegetable stand at South Bend's Farmers Market. The Vite family stand has been in operation since the opening of the market 75 years ago. Tribune Photo/Paul Rakestraw Visit South Bend's Farmers' Market for vegetables, fresh produce, fresh meat, crafts -- and much more. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch, but get there early to find a seat! A popular local attraction, call the market for more information at (219) 282-1259.

The restaurant was full of people, overflowing to the tables in the hall just outside its glass wall. The air was full of the aroma of home-cooked meals and coffee. And not far down the hall was a popcorn machine churning out fresh popcorn. I always see friends there and we get into conversations that add to the energy within the building.

The market began in 1917 or before, when a farmer on his way to sell his produce in town had a wagon break down on the Colfax Avenue bridge. He just started selling right there on the bridge. He sold the produce to passersby and was so successful that he kept coming back to sell more.

The first building for the Farmers Market was on Fellows Street. The market moved to Northside Boulevard, its present site, in 1927. At first it was a wooden structure that was destroyed by fire in 1971. At that point it was rebuilt as the metal building it is today.

This is a unique market that houses more than 100 producers who sell directly to consumers. Three things make it unique: the fruit belt just north of South Bend, produce from this area and Amish baked goods.

The producers are a lively, talkative bunch who have to hustle to keep up with the flow of people wanting to purchase something. They take time to tell curious buyers where and how their goods were grown or made, and how to get the best possible value from them. This is a rarity in today's fast-paced world in which the typical clerk in a large supermarket doesn't usually have any way to know this information and doesn't have time to talk. There, life has been simplified, climate-controlled, coded, labeled and wrapped in plastic. There are no deals, there is no conversation and there is no direct contact between farmers and consumers. The Farmers Market breaks all those stereotypes. The food I buy there hasn't been sitting in some warehouse for a week before coming to market.

I buy organic produce at the Kulwicki's booth by putting in an order a week ahead of time. While there, I always pick up a few more items that weren't on my list. After almost three years of doing business with them, we know each other by more than just a face or a name. When I bring my son along with me, they give him a little piece of fruit and a warm hello. Three generations of Kulwickis have done business at the market, working hard, making conversation and happy customers.

Gene Hiatt sells meats, dairy products and eggs. He raises and butchers his own poultry and rabbits to be sold at the market, so he knows exactly what went into his product. Four generations of his family have taken part in the market. His grandfather started on the Colfax Bridge in 1917. Gene has been president of the South Bend Farmers Market Corp. for 22 years and his father was president before him.

Stories such as these are too numerous to tell them all, but I think you get the idea. This market serves as an important tie in this area between the farmers and their customers. It also serves to unify many generations. These farmers are proud of their goods and of their histories, and they love to share them by way of stories. These qualities are vital to a community's health and should be supported wholeheartedly.

As a citizen of the South Bend area, I feel a sense of duty in making my food purchases this way. I am supporting the kind of lifestyle where the farms are small and the farmers care enough about their land to treat it with respect. The bottom line for me includes more than just the cost of the goods. It matters to me how and where they were grown and harvested.