FBM Spring Maker’s Market

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Part of my job as a professional photographer is to capture events in my community of Owego and Apalachin, New York. I find myself in some really interesting happenings taking on this responsibility and this weekend is no different at Farmer Browns Spring Maker’s Market.

http://www.farmerbrownsmarket.com

Once a Season, FBM opens their doors to local artisans, vendors and food trucks for a 2 day celebration of holidays, themes and colors of that Season. Featured here are Spot Girl Designs, a watercolor artist whose childlike flair attracts children and adults refusing to “grow up,” DePueWelding a welding duo specializing in outdoor garden decor, camping specialties and custom-designed iron signs; and lastly B and B Well wellness who centers their focus on Elderberry products for boosting immunity and health.

click the links above to learn more about each artisan

Moving along the row of 10×10 tents, I found Lavendel Fields, local grower who makes all kinds of products ONLY from lavender and Sam Haines Delights who creates 3 new candle scents per month and 4 new soaps a season. I was enthralled listening to her talk about how community events influence her next series of products. June’s Strawberry Fest in downtown Owego struck her imagination to whip up 3 new strawberry flavors that literally look edible even though I know they’re soap. A dynamic team of 3 woman collaborated to present Hygge Home and Horse Krazy Designs featuring cozy home decor, unique jewelry from bullets and adorable bandanas for dogs. To round off that section of vendors, I found Mischief Exotic Studio, who specialized in wood crafted earnings and so much more. It’s impossible to show off all the vendors in one post – you must take a peak yourself on this sunny Sunday. The Maker’s Market hours are 10 – 4pm with Sugar N Smoke food truck today only.

One thing to note about this festive Marketplace, whether they’re celebrating an event or just hosting a food truck like Pit Stop Popcorn for the weekend, the staff is like no other you will encounter. Take a peak at Custom Planter & Display Extraordinaire, Adam Coney taking pride in his perfectly stacked garden soil for your ease of shopping! He’s the face behind every display at FBM and now you might understand the type of pride that goes into showing off a pansy or a petunia “the right way!”

http://www.thecameraseye.biz

For additional information, check any of the links throughout this post or shoot on over to http://www.farmerbrownsmarketplace.com Happy Sunday Folks = )

The Local Lens – Local Utopia

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This week’s highlighted business couldn’t be more appropriate for shining the lens of The Camera’s Eye!

Local Utopia, located at 32 Lake St in the downtown, historic Owego Marketplace embodies the concept of LOCAL. Liz Skovira, moved back to her hometown of Owego after being displaced from her NYC job during Covid. Inspiration struck while binge watching Schitt’s Creek with her mom during quarantine. She wanted to create a store that could highlight smaller, local businesses that don’t have brick and mortar shops… and that is exactly what she did!

Filled with well over 90% local, hand-made products, Liz’s gift shop has two simple concepts; Waste Free & Chemical Free. Currently, the product focus is Homegoods: candles, teas, kitchenware, coffee, body scrubs, skincare, but she’s ever evolving so if you’re this type of artisan or manufacturer, Local Utopia is your showcase.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 to 5, you can find Miss Skovira working away behind the desk. A confessed Shop-a-holic, ordering and inventory is anything but a chore for her.

The best part of popping in to check out the vendors within? Liz knows the skinny on each one and is more than happy to share their story, location and how the product(s) are made.

Think about the concept behind this Gift Shop with me for a moment… you’re walking into one store filled with products for your home or body created by manufactures with a passion for saving the environment or keeping chemicals off your skin or out of your blood stream curated by a woman who can tell you anything you want to know about the manufacturing process. No wondering, “what’s in this?” No trying to grab your glasses or your magnification app on your mobile to see the tinsy tiny print on the back of the label. No… you just turn and ask, “Hey Liz, who made this and what’s the process behind it?” Outstandingly Brilliant!

To shop online or for more information, check the web at Local Utopia, call 1 570-731-0373, or send Liz a direct message at localutopia607@gmail.com. Thanks again for reading the Local Lens. This week’s find is a true treasure and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Know a business that’s in need of recognition post Covid or that simply has a lovely concept? Leave a reply on the Blog and I’ll be sure to check it out!

The Local Lens – Oxbow Farms

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I met Noella, co-operator of Oxbow Farms a few weeks ago at Farmer Browns Farmer’s Market in Apalachin, NY. Wow, that’s a lot of Farms in one sentence! Intrigued by the leap of faith she and her husband, Tim took to be the first local farmers to set up in FBM’s marketplace; I had to know more, so I packed up my gear and met her under the marketplace tent.

As a business owner, she’s engaging, knowledgeable and caring- everything you would imagine from a farmer who is dedicated to “growing food while learning resilience and adaptation in a changing world.” That’s their Instagram business description! As Covid restrictions begin to lift across the world and in the Southern Tier region of Upstate NY, where Oxbow Farms thrives, I knew this business would be the next focus of The Local Lens. Couldn’t we all learn a bit of resilience and adaptation in our changing world!

Noella and Tim had the same goals of producing food on a small scale with practices that support farm ecology without the use of any fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. The catch? They lived states apart, one from Massachusetts and one from Pennsylvania. They settled as a 29 acre, family-run farm located in a beautiful valley in Chemung County, NY and have 2 adorable girls who can be seen in the background learning the family tradition.

The farm sees the first and last frosts of every season, is the home of 6 mobile hoop houses, one wood-heated greenhouse, and has the adaptability to grow over 40 different crops each season. At this point in the growing season, their focus is on all kinds of lettuce. To offer a unique crop, Oxbow turned its focus to Asian greens like Mizuna & Senposai. To learn more about these amazing greens, drop Noella or Tim a message through their website where you can find a kitchen-full of recipes on how to eat these greens.

Where can you buy their products? 2021 marks our 12th season Noella and Tim can be found filling the bags of shoppers at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. They’re located at Stall 69, April through December.  

Most recently, they have graced Farmer Browns Marketplace, under the large white tent at the entrance, Fridays 1- 5pm. Owner, Logan Keeney is delighted to have them as his roots in planting began at a organic vegetable farm in Pennsylvania.

An interesting note about Oxbow Farms, as we all have something more than what appears to “Be” at face value… they love Goats and have Bucklings for sale! Their pedigree-worthy Goat, Pumpkin produced 3 Bucklings this season- Fred, George, and Ron. If you’re like me and know very little about goats, a Buckling is a young male less than a year old.

Interested in purchasing a buckling or wanting more information about Oxbow Farms? Connect with owners Noella and Tim by following any of the links in this post or use the links below:

https://www.oxbowfarmny.com

https://www.instagram.com/oxbowfarmny/

Email: oxbowfarmer@gmail.com
Phone: 607-598-7193