Oxford DDA’s Farmers Market Creates Major Success for Two Local Businesses

(Lilly Crossley, July 24, 2024)

Oxford, MI – The Oxford Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is a non-profit organization that serves the Historic Downtown Oxford, keeping its history intact while also supporting the growth of local businesses. Kelly Westbrook, the Executive Director of the DDA, explains that the organization is “very passionate about economic development,” and their local farmers market is one of Oxford’s best examples of such success.

The market is located on Washington Square, and it sits in a spot that was previously occupied by a building that is now torn down. Since this open space is in between two buildings, it makes it very visible for people to see the market.

This summer will be the fourth year that the market has run. It has grown from living on a gravel parking lot to the new paved lot that was developed in 2022. The amount of vendors has also grown with the market’s popularity, for this year there will be 25 vendors instead of the 20 from 2022, and many other businesses are currently on a wait list that is six weeks long.

The DDA tries to attract different vendors from the area to join the market, for they believe it gives those businesses more confidence to become brick and mortar stores. The market is a great way for these businesses to “get the vibe of the community,” and it offers an “incubator space without having a physical space,” Kelly and Kimberly Smith, the DDA’s Project and Media Coordinator, explain. It’s a great economic development tool, which helps showcase the passion that this organization has for its community.

As a result of the market being so successful, some businesses have gone on to have brick and mortar locations within the past year after being vendors. One business is Designs by Chance, which is focused on custom laser engravings and sublimation, and the other is Pupper Budder Treats, which sells all natural dog treats.

Designs by Chance has officially been in business for two years, but it really began about three years ago when Paul Bobolts realized he wanted to change direction after making wood products for a local shop. His wife, Brooke, was into printing, so they decided to start making their own products, and they “taught themselves from the ground up” by watching Youtube videos, Paul explains. The two soon realized they needed more money in order to build larger items, so they joined the Oxford farmers market to try and gain more popularity.

Their time at the market caused them to grow “slowly but surely,” as Paul describes, but it also led them to meeting a woman who was looking for someone to take over the place she was renting right in the heart of downtown Oxford on South Washington street. She got the Bobolts connected with her landlord, and they have owned the brick and mortar location since October.

“The first few months were nerve racking,” Paul explains about opening the store, but the farmers market was a “great motivation” for them because of its personal marketing aspect. It gave them a good ground to start on, getting more interest from people, as well as learning from other people with businesses, such as receiving ideas and advice that made the Bobolts more prepared to open their own store.

What Paul loves about their brick and mortar is “not only having our own space and being able to do what we want, but having the ability for people to come in and see examples face-to-face and create a better connection with those customers.” This success was made possible by the help of the farmers market.

Andrea Cicero, a licensed baker and Oxford resident for over 30 years, started Pupper Budder Treats in 2022. She had done many craft shows during that time, and she also spent two years in a row at the farmers market, which helped bring in a lot of attention and create a good following for her business. The market was “great exposure, and it was nice that it’s dog friendly,” Andrea describes, for it allowed the dogs to try samples of their treats.

Andrea felt ready to open a store because of the immense encouragement she received from the market, DDA, and community. A friend of hers owns the building that Pupper Budder Treats is located in, which is in the village of Oxford on South Gillespie Street and it has been open since January.

Andrea loves having a brick and mortar because she is able to talk to customers in detail about their dog’s diet and answer genuine questions. “It’s nice not having to be in a rush to hurry people out the door,” she explains, “because at the craft shows it got hard to get into detail with the long lines of people.” Having the physical store also allows other opportunities for Andrea, such as partnering with the rescue Canine Companions, which brings a puppy that is ready for adoption to the store every Tuesday. The DDA “really supports small businesses and helps them succeed,” Andrea says.

With these businesses becoming very successful from the market, the DDA has piqued the interest of plenty of other businesses wanting to become a vendor. The organization encourages these businesses to send applications, and the staff takes each one into consideration. The team looks at the product mix of the market’s current vendors, for they want to make sure there isn’t too much duplication of the same product.

If a business that applied doesn’t quite fit into the current mix, there are other opportunities for them to participate in the market. The DDA will have one time markets in the fall and winter, and they are also working on making more pop-ups later because there has been so many businesses interested. More information on these upcoming markets can be found on the organization’s website.

The Oxford Downtown Development Authority strives to support their community and local businesses, and the success of vendors that grew from being in the farmers market to having their own locations in the city has proven how strong the organization’s dedication is.