Upper Arlington Farmers Market — Local services in Upper Arlington

I will preface this review and rating by saying this is about logistics only, and not the quality of vendors or the market itself. I think understanding how markets are laid out is really helpful in knowing what to expect on market day. Given my experience working at and running FM's in Wisconsin, I've been caught off guard by the logistical/layout differences here in Columbus that have dampened the market experience for me in the moment. (TLDR at the bottom)

The Review:

I visited this market for the first time in either 2021 when it was in the parking lot by the pool. It was busy but the layout was easy to navigate and what I'm accustomed to as vendors were set-up in a kind of square. There were good quality products and a wide variety of vendors. I didn't have a car at the time, so I only went once but now that I have a car I was so excited to go back!

On my most recent visit a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to find that the market had moved and was now along a street adjacent to a church and residences. The way the market was set up was highly unusual (compared to my experience outside of Cbusland) and logistically challenging. Given the market's size, it was easy enough to visit each vendor by going from end to end, but finding an access point that made sense was hard depending on where you park. Plus there were some random vendors off to the side that were easy to miss.

The market is set up so that vendors are able to park their vehicles in the street by their stalls and sell facing the sidewalk, but it makes everything seem crowded and disjointed. It's not a layout conducive to browsing or lingering. Maybe this layout makes the market seem bigger, but I'd prefer a more compact layout over a long and disjointed one. If the vendors were lined up on both sides of the street and facing into the street, it would be SO much better. It would make a huge difference.

Markets always involve walking, but if you have any mobility challenges, access and enjoyment may be limited because the sidewalks which the vendors face onto are slanted and hard to walk on. Because I have some mobility challenges, the slanted sidewalks are honestly the main reason why I will not visit the market again.

There also wasn't really a sense of community either, and in my experience, FM's often serve as a "third space" perfect for gathering. Maybe I missed this space if it was present because of the weather (it rained off and on). But quite frankly I just wanted to get out of there ASAP because of how wonky everything felt.

In Columbus land there seems to be a trend toward single file market on-street set-ups and I can't imagine it's due to a lack of empty and available lots large enough to house that many vendors. I'm not sure why it's like this and I haven't been to every Cbusland market (yet) so maybe there is a logic to it that I just haven't seen yet. Maybe the three I've seen this at are the exceptions and the rest I visit will have a more cohesive layout.

TLDR; If you're looking for an easy to navigate market to hang out at, this might not be the best one. BUT if you are looking for wide variety of high-quality items from a diverse array of vendors, that you can get in and out of rather quickly, this market does a great job of making...

The new location and hours are difficult. Not everyone can get there by 3 and things sell out quickly if you aren’t there out of the gate. Being on the new black asphalt is beastly hot. No lingering and browsing. Get your items and leave. I assume this is a way to direct traffic...

Really nice market with good fruit and produce. Covey Rise Farm has great chicken, beef, and pork. There is also a bison vendor. Kingdom fish is also there, so there is even seafood. And don't miss the duck eggs from...