Park Ridge Farmers Market — Local services in Maine Township

My husband and I used to come here every weekend since we live in a nearby neighboring town, but we will no longer be supporting this market. While the Cheese People, Tamales Express and the vendor that sells amazing tart cherries (the name escapes me, but I believe they are from Michigan) are the best, we had a negative experience with one of the vendors here.

The market claims to be “dog friendly”, but it appears that’s the case for certain dogs only. We brought our dog as a way to try and socialize her since we got her during the COVID lockdowns. She has anxiety and gets nervous, so of course she was whining and barking a bit. One of the vendors had the audacity to come up to my husband and say that people were feeling “unsafe” because my dog was whining and barking when we didn’t get any feedback like that from the market patrons. Many people understood she was nervous and even asked about her and wanted to interact with her. We kept her on the outside perimeter of the market and did not bring her in at all since we knew she was nervous, but were basically told we were forbidden to bring her in if we wanted to.

Could I come to the market without my dog going forward since we now know this environment makes her nervous? Sure, but this left a bad taste in my mouth and I have no interest in coming back here. Almost gives off a snobby, stuck up impression.

Parking gets crowded if you don’t come early in the morning and it is a nightmare to get out with all of the outdoor dining and traffic through the downtown area. I will stick to patronizing my local market and other markets...

The Park Ridge farmers market is very nice, with lots of vendors and a variety of items for sale. I have bought some very nice produce, pastries, beauty products, soaps, and plants here. Some vendors are there weekly, others are monthy or twice monthly. You can view the full schedule, in addition to vendor information and their individual websites, on the farmers market website.

However, last summer it was a bit disappointing that so many shoppers were not wearing masks despite the multiple signs stating the rules. Also, several shoppers (usually unmasked ones) barged in front of waiting customers including me who were distanced in line -- and some vendors just served the "bargers" next. Two vendors were not wearing masks either. I will go again this spring/summer and hope people will be kinder to each other.

I know my review should be about the market itself and not the shoppers - and I rate the market 4 stars. I know many of the managers are volunteers and I'm sure it's difficult to keep the peace especially since there are many entrances to the market. I only mention all this because spring market time will be here soon. Be safe, everyone, and enjoy supporting farmers and...

This is a great farmers market. They have a nice large area for vendors with fresh produce, meats and baked goods. There is a separate area for vendors selling food to eat. Got bamboozled by Six Generations Farm - purchased a container of 6 peaches for $9 and it turns out 3 of the peaches were terribly bruised/cut and 1 was moldy. Fool me once....fine, but I won't buy fruit from them again. Allegretti's Bakery is fantastic, their donuts are the best. Definitely stop by Tamales Express for tamales. Eat 'em there or bring...