There will be no off-season for the Provo Farmers Market this winter.
For the first time in its history, the popular weekly event that runs Saturdays from June to October at Pioneer Park will move indoors to the Provo Towne Centre beginning later this month.
The market will be held in the mall's common area every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Nov. 16 to April 19, 2025, with the exception of holiday breaks on Dec. 28 and Jan. 4.
Farmers market organizers have considered winterizing the event for several years due to its growing demand, according to Executive Director Matt Taylor, who said the open space inside the mall makes it a logical spot for expansion.
"We set a high participation rate in our summer market this year (and received) a lot of feedback from vendors that were also looking for continuing opportunities to sell throughout the winter, because there weren't a lot of other options," Taylor said.
Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald
"We looked for a lot of different places in Provo," he added. "But the one that's large enough and seems most accommodating for the number of vendors we're looking to host was the Provo Towne Centre mall."
The move also serves as an exciting proposition for the mall, which will receive a facilities fee from the farmers market and has an opportunity to increase its weekend foot traffic.
"I think it'll be really valuable for both the market, the vendors and all of our customers and patrons and stores here at the Provo Towne Centre," said Lori Carter, the mall's assistant general manager.
Per Carter, the farmers market organizers reached out to the Provo Towne Centre's general manager, Scott Bowles, with whom they had a personal connection, and from there the two sides spent months discussing the feasibility of the idea.
The mall can accommodate up to 6,000 to 7,000 people at a time, Carter said, and has plenty of parking space. Vendors will be given loading in and loading out instructions and will be placed in non-retail spaces, such as hallways, food court areas and rotundas. Market organizers expect to host around 150 vendors through the winter months.
"It's really not going to be a problem at all to accommodate that kind of traffic," Carter said.
The move makes the Provo Farmers Market the largest ongoing weekly market in the county, Taylor said. Organizers hope to replicate the success of Salt Lake City's indoor farmers market at the Rio Grande, which runs from November to April.
Early feedback is promising.
"I'd say probably about 90% of the vendors I've talked to at Provo Farmers Market have been excited about this," Taylor said. "Some of them will participate one day, some are already gearing up to participate every week. And the way we function is we allow them to sign up for as many or as few weeks as they want."
There is a thriving farmers market scene in Utah Valley, with weekly markets in Provo, Orem, Springville, Eagle Mountain, Lindon and Spanish Fork, among others, throughout the warm-weather months.
Taylor has seen significant growth in the Provo market's popularity. For the 2024 season, there were over 500 vendors who applied, far more than the roughly 200 spots Pioneer Park can accommodate.
Taylor attributes the growth to a number of factors, ranging from the minimal fees the market charges vendors to societal influences of vendors and customers alike.
"I think the valley is just an extremely creative, entrepreneurial-minded valley," he said. "A lot of it has to do just with our tradition and culture here. And then I think (during) COVID, people lost touch with human connection. We've been losing touch for a hundred years, and then with the rise of digital screens, and then COVID, people really started missing human connection. There are people that show up at the market, from vendors to customers, and I overhear them say, 'Oh yeah, this is my therapy,' or 'This is so healing,' or 'This is the greatest vibe.'"