By Libby Allnatt | [email protected]

Saturday mornings are lively on SoDa Row in South Jordan. 

The Daybreak Farmers Market is back for the summer 2020 season with fresh produce, baked treats and handmade arts and crafts. 

Laura Gaillard, one of the new directors along with Makayla Robinson, said the market has both returning vendors—who have been attending for the past several years—and new vendors. 

“There’s such a variety,” she said. “We have fresh produce from a few different vendors. We have baked goods. We have food from different countries—all sorts of arts and crafts, creativity. And we’re getting more every day.” 

The market is open each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gaillard said the season has been lengthened to go through October. 

This year, customers might be seeing a lot more face masks, which visitors and vendors are encouraged to wear to help in the fight against COVID-19, more hand sanitizer and less open packaging. Visitors are also encouraged to practice social distancing. 

When this year’s market kicked off in June, before the open-air market was allowed to fully operate, customers had the option to place orders online for drive-through pick-up. 

“It was very useful for the duration of time that it lasted,” Gaillard said.

Now, visitors can browse the farmer’s market in person in a responsible and safe fashion. 

“We love people to come and check it out and talk to vendors,” Gaillard said. “It’s fun to learn their stories, what goes into their products, how they came up with them.” 

Fawn Rueckert, of Sego Lily Flower Farm, has been selling fresh flowers at the market for the past three years. At the stand, visitors can find bouquets of various types (regular or petite), including an arrangement in a mason jar. 

“We have a lot of regulars that come out and support us,” Rueckert said of the market customers. “We’ll have someone who tries our flowers for the first time because they’ve never experienced local flowers and how long they last. They come back for more.”

Rueckert said it’s important to support local businesses because you’re making a difference with your dollars. 

“Every dollar you spend at the farmers market goes to a local family,” she said. “You’re literally helping people pay their bills and support this dream of a business that they’ve had. I love flower farming, but I could not do it unless people were willing to buy my flowers. I’m so grateful people are willing to support local families. It makes an impact on my life.” 

Gaillard emphasizes the importance of supporting local businesses and knowing where products are coming from. 

“We’re helping them and their families and their employees to stay afloat and succeed,” she said. “I really think that ultimately we should all be wanting each other to succeed.” 

Gaillard said in addition to supporting your neighbors, there’s a quality and uniqueness to many local products that can be difficult to match elsewhere, from one-of-a-kind jewelry to delicious produce.

“There’s no limit to creativity,” she said. “To be able to come and see all your different options open to you, I’m in awe of the things that people have come up with, the things they pull out of their imaginations. That should be celebrated.”

Visiting a farmer’s market safely can be a way to get out this summer and have an enjoyable outing.  

“You can get out of the house and into the sun and be social,” Gaillard said.