About the Dallas Farmers Market
Nestled among the skyscrapers and the hustle of the city is a place where farmers become friends. In the middle of everything but away from it all, since 1941, the Dallas Farmers Market has been filled with wholesome produce and the collective fruits of our labor. Once a humble horse-and-wagon wholesale business, the market has grown with the city and turned into a hub for farm-fresh vegetables, dairy and more. Today, in the heart of downtown, the Dallas Farmers Market exists to cultivate a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for all North Texas. Seasonal produce, free-range meats, fresh eggs, artisan pantry staples, and handmade arts + crafts can be found in The Shed every weekend year-round. All products are grown and raised within Texas or 400 miles of Dallas, ensuring that the selection is always fresh, seasonal, and supports local agriculture.
To further support these efforts, Dallas Farmers Market partners with organizations small, large, local, and global. We proudly work with the national Farmers Market Coalition celebrating National Farmers Market Week every year and have recently joined the World Farmers Market Coalition to connect with and learn from markets all over the globe. DFM is a Go Texan partner and works with the Texas Department of Agriculture to promote and increase viability of small, local farms in the area. We work with the Sustainable Food Center, Texas Center for Local Food, and Texas Health to administer our customer focused SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks programs in The Shed. Our partnership with Dallas Tourism and Downtown Dallas Inc. allows us to better integrate into the downtown community and even further increase access to healthy, local foods.
Honesty, transparency, and responsibility are the guiding forces behind our organization. We believe in educating our community about how to live in a natural, balanced way. In the heart of downtown, is where you’ll find the Dallas Farmers Market.
Today, in the heart of downtown, the Dallas Farmers Market exists to cultivate a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for all of North Texas. Seasonal produce, free-range meats, fresh eggs, artisan pantry staples, and handmade arts + crafts can be found in The Shed every weekend year round. All products are grown and raised within Texas or 400 miles of Dallas, ensuring that the selection is always fresh, seasonal, and supports local agriculture.
The Dallas Farmers Market is home to locally-owned small businesses with shopping, residential and great local eats throughout.
The Dallas Farmers Market is proudly:
- Go Texan Certified
- Member of the Farm Bureau
- Member of Dallas Agricultural Club
- Member of Farmers Market Coalition
- Member of American Farm Bureau Federation
- Named Best Of Dallas by Dallas Observer
- A Certified Farmers Market by The Texas Department of Agriculture.
History of the Dallas Farmers Market
Once a humble horse-and-wagon wholesale business, the Dallas Farmers Market has grown with the city and turned into a hub for farm-fresh vegetables, dairy and more. Today, it stands as a symbol of Dallas’ commitment to the health and nutrition of the people who call this city home.
Photo Courtesy of The Dallas Public Library
As Dallas began to flourish in the late 19th century, farmers began to sell their produce in locations around the city from their wagons. Soon enough, the intersection of South Pearl Expressway and Cadiz Street became the hub of a thriving wholesale business—produce, chickens, pigs, eggs and goats were all sold to the people of North Texas. But as the city grew, so did the demand for farm-fresh produce and meat. So, in 1939, the site of the Dallas Farmers Market was expanded and the first Shed was established. By 1941, the site was officially sanctioned as a municipally owned and operated market. After growing for generations, the Dallas Farmers Market is home to over 200 small businesses and supports more than 50 Texas farmers and ranches throughout the year. The Dallas Farmers Market team continues the mission of cultivating a more sustainable lifestyle of all of North Texas through educational outreach, special events, and providing a unfied voice to the community of stakeholders that call DFM home. Looking back on the legacy of agricultural supporters allows us to forge a path for a sustainable future, here, in the heart of downtown.
“Mama” Ida Papert
In 1991, the Dallas Farmers Market Friends was formed by the driving force and tireless long-time supporter of the DFM, “Mama” Ida Papert. She began shopping at the DFM in 1953 convinced that preparing locally grown food was worth the effort.
Mama Ida was more than a shopper, she was a local matriarch. She could be found at the market every Saturday morning carrying her personalized bag that said, “Ida’s Gotta Have it”, filled to the brim with produce. She delivered preserves to each stall made from produce bought at the market. Ida took this passion for the farmers and enthusiasm for the market and created the Friends of the Farmers Market, a non-profit advocacy group. In 1993 she joined forces with the American Institute of Wine & Food to start the cooking classes enjoyed by enthusiastic foodies at the market.
Today, her legacy lives on through the dedication and hard work of the many volunteers who support the market. She is remembered as a modest woman, never taking credit for the contributions she made to attract shoppers and support farmers. Her efforts to grow and sustain the DFM will always be appreciated.
