The Little Market That Could – Dexter’s Pavilion of People, Produce, and Purpose

On a Saturday morning in Dexter, Michigan, while most of the world rushes to Walmart for strawberries wrapped in plastic and flown in from California, something simpler and sweeter is unfolding beneath a pavilion on Alpine Street. Among the hum of live music, the Dexter Farmers Market is less a shopping trip and more a homecoming.

“You come for tomatoes,” says Rae Nims, the new Market Manager and longtime Master Gardener, “but you stay for the people. And maybe the warm baguette and butter if you’re lucky.”

Running a market, it turns out, is more than just putting out tables. “There’s a lot behind the scenes,” Rae says. “Parking complaints, construction, coordinating vendors. But people have been amazing—helpful, generous. It feels like a little family.”

And like any family, the market endures challenges—most recently, the construction of Dexter’s new firehouse on the property adjacent to the Market. The street closures have made getting to the pavilion a bit of a maze. “People are still finding us,” Rae says, “but you might have to hoof it from the bank parking lot. We’ve got signs up to help, and once folks figure it out, they keep coming.”

They come on Saturdays from 8 to 1, or on Tuesdays from 11 to 3. They come for crisp radishes pulled from the ground that morning, cucumbers dangling from hanging baskets, and organic eggs that haven’t seen the inside of a shipping truck. They come for the sweet, glazed pecans and the gluten-free cookies, for musical covers of Gordon Lightfoot and the Eagles, and smells of nostalgia.

Ed Young, the market’s unofficial troubadour, plays most Saturdays. “He even writes songs about people shopping at the market,” Rae chuckles. “Be careful, though. They’re funny—but he might put you in one.”

There’s something timeless about it all. Maybe it’s the chalkboard signs or the fact that a kid with a 3D printer is selling glow-in-the-dark dragons next to a retired woman selling zucchini. “We’ve got these little booths called ‘Kids Bids,’” Rae says, her eyes lighting up. “They learn how to count change and talk to customers. They’re little entrepreneurs.”

And the food? “Cool Kitchen Farms bakes their bread fresh that morning—he’s up at 4 AM. I once brought butter with me and just tore into a baguette right there. Coffee in one hand, warm bread in the other… perfect,” Rae smiles. “The smell just drifts through the pavilion.”

Of course, not everything is picturesque. The market still lacks food trucks. Zingerman’s is on the way with packaged goods and soups. Meat, Fish and cheese vendors are being recruited. But if there’s a hole in the market lineup, it’s more than filled by community spirit. Rock painting days, scavenger hunts for kids, and the beloved October dog costume contest keep the place vibrant.

Seniors benefit too. With support from Trinity Health, the “Senior Market Bucks” program offers $15 in vouchers for local produce. Soon, the SNAP program and double-up bucks will be available. “You just have to be over 60 and from Washtenaw County,” Rae explains. “That’s it.”

There are vendors who’ve been here since the very beginning, like Mary Ann with her little shop across the street. “This is our 19th year,” Rae says. “Some markets might be older, sure, but ours… ours has soul.”

She pauses. The market isn’t just about sales or strawberries. It’s about a woman with seven skunks in her garage telling her story over a basket of beets. It’s about learning what slug is eating your hostas. It’s about laughing with neighbors and forgetting, for a few minutes, about the world outside the pavilion.

“We’re not just selling things,” Ray says. “We’re building something. A little community.”

The Dexter Farmers Market runs until the end of October—weather permitting. But if you’ve got boots and a warm coat, Rae and the vendors will be there, rain or shine. With hot coffee. With music. And if you’re lucky, with a baguette still warm from the oven.