MADISON — Alix Niblett dreams of having a family farm one day. Starting Old Thyme Market in downtown Madison is the first seed in the cultivation of her dreams.
Open every Friday from 3-7 p.m. through the end of September, Old Thyme Market is in the breezeway in the Downtown Square between Old Black Bear and Madison Station Antiques.
“I am a gardener with a passion for regenerative agriculture,” Niblett said. “It is a new way of doing chemical free, commercial scale agriculture that restores the land rather than depleting it of its resources. It is an approach that works with the natural ecosystem to restore the land while feeding people.”
She and her husband, a software engineer, are not yet in a position to buy a farm, she said. But they have one-third of an acre right in the middle of Madison so she can do some small-scale farming and gardening. And, in fact, she has recently acquired backyard chickens.
“What can I do right now to learn more about farming, to get to know the farming community and become a part of it, to support it any way I can?” Niblett said. “I was watching a video one day about someone in another state starting a farmer’s market and I knew immediately that was something I could do and do it successfully.”
After doing significant research, Niblett was also excited by the market’s potential. Growing up in Blount County, she grew up with farmer’s markets and stands in abundance.
“You see them out in the small towns but not so much in the city, anymore,” she said. “Huntsville has eight farmer’s markets that operate on different days and times, while Madison has one.
“I use the Hughes Road market myself and love it, but it is on Saturdays. I feel there is plenty of room for Old Thyme Market to make its mark.”
It is said that farming is not just a job, but a way of life. Niblett jumped right in to build relationships with area farmers and local artisans to offer a diverse but focused selection of farm fresh food, homemade soaps and candles, eggs, baked goods and homemade canned preserves and pickles. They even have someone who does pasture-raised poultry, beef and pork.
And there is live music by Kelly Joyner to give the market a festive feel.
Niblett said she was a little late in the season getting started since most markets open in April and she started up the first of June. This meant a lot of farmers were already committed to other markets, but she sees many of them joining in when they can. This way, the market provides new items and new vendors every week.
“We have a lot of artisans and start-up businesses who can get a lot of exposure from the market, but we are always looking for more farmers,” Niblett said. “That, like the rest of Old Thyme Market will grow as we get more established.”
It’s almost Friday! Grab a basket and visit Old Thyme Market in downtown Madison – farm-fresh food just tastes better.
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