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The St. Matthews Farmers Market was founded in May 2007 by a small and very determined group of members of Beargrass Christian Church.  They had three objectives in mind:

• Creating a festive, family-friendly Saturday event, available free to everyone from late spring to early fall
• Providing a vibrant sales venue for local farmers looking to sell their home-grown produce; at that time, few such markets existed in Louisville or had available space for growth
• Continuing their congregation’s long tradition of reaching outside the church walls to serve the wider Louisville community

For 15 years, the market has been serving the needs of St. Matthews and the larger community.

In the first of many ministries that three-decade member, Bob Callander, would come to envision and launch, and after exploring such markets in other cities and determining only a few small ones existed in Louisville, Callander organized a core group of interested Beargrass members, including current committee member, Leslie Geoghegan, to consider the concept for Saturday mornings on our outdoor campus. Their goals were simple but their aims were high.

Initially, getting the concept off the ground was not so simple. Callander’s team determined they would move forward if 25 farmers and producers could be convinced to participate. After many seemingly unfruitful visits and communications by the group, a breakthrough came with a call from Irvin Stoll, owner of Gypsy Ridge Farm in southern Indiana. After seeing the layout and location of Beargrass, Stoll proclaimed, “I’ve been selling at farmers markets for 30 years, and this is the best venue I’ve ever seen.”

With Gypsy Ridge as the first, 22 more farmers and producers signed on as charter members and the St. Matthews Farmers Market was born. It was an instant success, bringing an amazing vibrancy to the corner of Shelbyville Road and Browns Lane every Saturday, May to September, as well as a newfound, citywide recognition for Beargrass Christian Church. It would soon become an award-winning market on a statewide basis.

As the curtain closes on our 15th season we are extremely grateful for all of you and for our farms and vendors. Our founding members include the following:

Coulters Good Earth Farm 

Full Heart Farm 

Gallrein Farms 

Garey Farms

Gypsy Ridge Farms

Hambley Farms

Harmony Fields Farm

Highland Moor

Holy Branch Farm

Jacksons Produce

Organic Acres

Sherwood Acres

Sunergos Coffee

Triple J Farm 

Wildflour Bakehouse

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Limited edition 15th anniversary organic cotton market bags are now available to mark this exciting time in the life of the St. Matthews Farmers Market. Just $10 cash or Venmo and available near the seating area under the big tree. Organic cotton, 13″X 13″ with a 7″ gusset to hold all your produce and with long 26″ handles for easy carrying. This special artwork featuring a market’s bounty in the fleur de lis symbol of Louisville and the founding date of 2007 was specially designed for the St. Matthews Farmers Market by a local artist. Get yours today before they sell out! Thank you for the support of our farmers!

Music returns to the Market. We are eager to welcome area musicians back to the Market stage as live music is now permitted due to changing guidance from the CDC. Masks are no longer required. Reusable shopping bags are welcome. Come one, come all, shop 6′ apart and support local farms and local food. Only service animals are permitted. Musicians play for tips. Please show your generosity and thanks. As of now, the music schedule for the season is:

6/5 Gavin Caster
6/12 Trent Vonn Drisse
6/19 Sand Box Soul
6/26 Blue Monroes
7/3 Pat Younger
7/10 Don Brockmeier
7/17 Joel Curtis
7/24 Madeline Miller
7/31 Black Dog String
8/7 Bourbonauts
8/14 Down to Earth
8/21 Gavin Caster
8/28 Blue Monroes
9/4 Sand Bar Soul
9/11 Bourbonauts
9/18 Down to Earth
9/25 Danny Flanigan (tentative)

Gallrein Farms is a Founding Member of the St. Matthews Farmers Market.

Located on Vigo Road in Shelbyville, KY, and in business since the 1920s through 5 generations of Gallreins, the Farm offers all kinds of fruits and vegetables, flowers, plants, and herbs. Their fresh popped kettlecorn is a tried and true market favorite.

In the late 1920s, Edward Gallrein, Sr. started a dairy farm in Jefferson County with 17 dairy cows and grew the herd to over 400. His son, William Sr., bought a larger operation in Shelbyville in 1972 and diversified to include grain, vegetables, and tobacco. By the mid 1980s the family focused solely on raising vegetables. Bill Jr., and his wife Randie, opened the farm store 30 years ago to sell directly to customers and to make a visit to the farm a special occasion. Today Bill Jr. and Bill Sr. continue to operate the farm together.

Gallrein offers activities at the farm in spring, summer, and fall. Spring blooms at Gallrein by mid-April and nine greenhouses are filled with flowers. Hot house vegetables are ready in early spring and bedding and vegetable plants abound. They grow acres and acres of strawberries which mature in late May. You can pick them yourself or buy them by the basket. Corn comes in high summer season and Gallrein is known for its sweet, tender varieties. You can also find squash, green beans, homegrown tomatoes, okra, potatoes, berries, fresh jams and jellies, and honey. An onsite bakery offers homemade fudge, sweets of all types, cakes, and pies. Beginning in July, they will offer lunch Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join Gallrein at the Farmers Market or at the Farm. https://gallreinfarms.com/

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We value all our farms and vendors. Founding Members who are still active:

Coulters Good Earth Farm 

Full Heart Farm 

Gallrein Farms 

Garey Farms

Gypsy Ridge Farms

Hambley Farms

Harmony Fields Farm

Highland Moor

Holy Branch Farm

Jacksons Produce

Organic Acres

Sherwood Acres

Sunergos Coffee

Triple J Farm 

Wildflour Bakehouse

St. Matthews Farmers Market, Kentucky’s largest urban market, opens for its 15^th season Saturday, May 8, 2021. The Market runs Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 12 noon through September 25, 2021, and is located at Beargrass Christian Church, 4100 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY 40207. Featuring more than 40 farms and vendors selling local meats, vegetables, grains, fruit, hot breakfast, and flowers, the market requires shoppers to social distance. Consistent with Governor Andy Beshear’s April 26 change to guidelines regarding masks at outdoor events with fewer than 1,000 participants, masks are not required but are encouraged. The Market will continue to follow CDC recommendations and government requirements to address the COVID-19 epidemic. Volunteer parking attendants assure complimentary onsite parking for patrons. Reusable market shopping bags are permitted and encouraged. Restrooms are available. Seating on-site is not available.

David Garey, of Garey Farms, in Paris, Kentucky, and a founding farm of the market, said, “The friendships I have made with marketgoers and volunteers, are such a part of why I love this market.”

Bob Callander, Market Committee Member, and co-founder, offered, “As Wendall Berry said, ‘Eating is an agricultural act.’ and our goal is to offer high quality food and products from local producers, and bring farm-fresh food to the community while supporting small farmers who care for the land.”

Learn more at www.smfarmersmarket.com or facebook.com/smfarmersmarket. Please visit these sites for the most up to date information on COVID-19 policies and procedures as these may change throughout the season.

The 2021 Producer Application is now available on the About the Market tab. New and returning farms and vendors are invited to complete and return their application by the February 1, 2021 deadline.

See the rules & regulations here. https://smfarmersmarket.com/about-smfm/rules-regulations/

The 2021 Fifteenth Anniversary season will look much like the 2020 season with stalls well spaced, queue lines with at least 6′ of social distance between marketgoers, and limited attendance.

We want potential new farms and vendors to understand we do not have as many stalls during the Covid-19 epidemic as we normally do. We worked hard to design a modified layout that will accommodate as many farms, vendors, and customers as possible.

We appreciate your patronage and look forward to the beginning of our Fifteenth season!

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