Since its soft opening in June the Chicory Market, at the site of the old Oxford Farmer’s Market store, has been growing closer to their community and local farm suppliers.

“Our goal is to first and foremost give the farmers and the food makers a place to sell their goods, and as a result bring a community together,” co-owner Kate Bishop said.

She and her husband John Martin took over the store from former owner Liz Stagg who operated the business for twelve years. The couple returned to Bishop’s home in Mississippi from New York because they saw the need for this kind of connective food service around Lafayette County as well as the country.

According to the Mississippi Food Policy Council, the state of Mississippi has 41,959 farms amounting to over 11 million acres of farmland. However, the state ranks near the top of the lists for states with the highest amount of food insecurity. Stores like the Chicory Market are working to connect Mississippi’s vast agricultural resources with its hungry population.

Bishop wants to help her customers be able to put a local face on the food sold at her store. She said that some farmers were initially skeptical of the new venture because she hadn’t lived in Oxford since she was little, but that their relationships have grown over the months.

“We’re providing them a place of business and that feels good and healthy,” she said. 

The store has brought together around 50 different food makers -including but not limited to farmers- providing accouterments like dried cranberries, yogurt dipped pretzels and gelato as well as fresh produce.

Often customers can even catch vendors in the store as they drop off their wares; Matt Britt of Clear Creek Produce has recently been in the store to stock watermelons, zucchini squash, and sweet corn. The Mississippi State graduate’s 17-acre farm is located off of Highway 6 on the way to Batesville and has been in his family for over 150 years.

He said he’s noticed an increase in people wanting to eat healthily and locally and says that it provides him an advantage as a local supplier.

“That squash was picked a few hours before it was put in here to buy,” he explained. “Versus a tomato that comes from California that might be five or six days old and possibly rotten.”

“I think the local drive these days is really helping local farmers,” he said, noting that he has serviced the farmer’s market since 2008, and that about a month ago -before the weather concerns- he stocked almost 90% of the store’s produce.

But a rough summer has been a setback for the and other farmers in the area. “One day we were out picking watermelons and I left my truck running and we were at 116 degrees,” Britt explained, “At high temperatures like that plants tend to struggle.” He said the heavy rains over the last few weeks have also caused plants like tomatoes, watermelons, and peppers to absorb too much water and burst.

He and his staff are working hard to get a fresh crop of tomatoes in within the next two weeks and continue to supply squash and greens through the winter.

 

The market has also been struggling to secure a supply of eggs- hampered by local chickens not nesting during the heat. In the meantime, they have crops of local figs, squash, and zucchini that are still coming in fresh. 

 “We thought we would have down time to expand the grocery section and we’ve spent all of our time trying to manage where we get tomatoes and eggs,” Bishop said. Although things have not gone as smoothly as expected, she said the community has been key in giving the store time to open, and she still has big dreams for the future.

Laurie Stirratt, who worked for the former farmer’s market store for three years, has helped to ease the transition between owners and plans to begin selling prepared foods soon. She will use inspiration from her home of New Orleans to provide gumbo and jambalaya in the fall as well as Mediterranean meals and grain salads.

Stirratt said that the farmer’s market has long filled a need for fresh food in Oxford and that there are more local growers now than ever, due to an increased interest in local foods. 

“People like to know where their food comes from, and I think that we give an amount of customer service that you don’t get at Kroger or bigger stores,” Stirratt said. They also plan to offer events with live music and food trucks later in the fall to engage with the community.

Bishop plans to install a map near the register of Chicory Market before their grand opening- highlighting the many places across the area where their foods are grown like Yokna Bottoms, Canebrake Farms, and Native Son Farms of Tupelo.

Bishop said that forging a relationship with farmers and customers is easier in Mississippi than in New York. “There’s a sense of community that is more natural here that is easy to establish just because you know that you are gonna see these people daily,” she said.

She is grateful to the many people who have volunteered their time and gone above and beyond to help the new store open, and help a longtime Oxford staple grow into a new chapter.