Josie Rivas has operated Olivaceto Artisan Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, 77 S. La Grange Rd. for 10 years.
And being a faithful vendor at the La Grange Farmers Market, she was in her usual spot May 21, just off Harris Avenue for the opening of the 2026 edition of the La Grange market that began 30 years ago.
But although she said business was fine, she noted that the cost of doing business was definitely increasing.
“People love to cook and they want good quality stuff,” she said, “but it makes it a little harder when the tariffs are going up, all of our stuff goes up. The worst one right now I would say is our delivery charge.”
Now in full swing, the La Grange Farmers Market will run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday through Oct. 29.
Even with rising inflation and an unseasonably cool day, the kickoff market drew 37 different vendors and the largest opening day crowd since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of the vendors were like Olivaceto, well-established in La Grange’s downtown retail scene. Included in this group were Aracely’s Bakery, Jake’s Country Meats, Katich Breads, Tidey Farms and Marek’s Authentic Polish Food.
But others were relatively new participants to what many describe as one of the best weekday farmers markets in the Chicago area.
The last two years have seen newcomers like Chicago Green Chile Company, Jimmy’s Bagels, Regal Mutt Bakery and Boutique and Get Sharp professional knife sharpeners. Coming soon will be Miracle Microgreens and Vibes Cafe.
And in an effort to make Farmers Market more family-friendly, organizers with the La Grange Business Association are inviting entertainers to apply to perform at the event.
LGBA President Dan Mulka said organizers have been tweaking the market in an effort to give shoppers what they want.
“Based on feedback, we ended up right-sizing our market,” he said. “The feedback was we were heavy in certain areas. We tried to give enough different choices that we were not overloaded in one area.”
Mulka said that part of the restructuring was eliminating a couple of vendors, saying “we had some folks retire. … Some of it was we just never replaced them.”
Vendors were happy with La Grange’s weekday market and were pleased at the heavy turnout.
“It’s been at least 10 years or more that we’ve been coming here,” Katich Breads manager G.G. Szul said. “This is one of our good weekday markets.
Jammy Zars, operator of Jimmy’s Bagel’s, 716 E. 31st Street, La Grange Park, echoed Szul’s sentiments about the La Grange Market.
“This is probable, for a weekday market, the best one,” he said, while pointing out that he also did well at the other three markets where he was a vendor.
Opening day shoppers included La Grange Trustee Peggy Peterson.
“I love the Farmers Market,” she said. “I’m looking forward to another successful year and I enjoy it every week.”
Tyler Dickerson, an Iowa native living in Naperville, said he was impressed by the turnout.
“I really like seeing so many different faces,” he said. “It just feels like it’s a very collective community thing that’s kind of essential for La Grange and its local economy.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
