Meet the Vendors of Eastern Market

Eastern Market is the Detroit hot spot for food, art, shopping and history. Now located northeast of downtown, the site was labeling as a Michigan State Historical Site in 1974. The farmers market that has operated in the heart of the city since 1841 in the exact same location — also making it one of the oldest markets in the country. A 43 acres the Eastern Market also is the largest historic public market district in the United States. 😲

There is much to see in the historical district. Artwork fills the walls that enclose the more than 15,000 square feet of market space. More than 235 vendors who sell their products attract roughly 45,000 people to the market on Saturdays. What keeps people coming back every week?

Above you can hear what a typical day at the Eastern Market actually sounds like. Its large sheds contain thousands of people buying, bargaining and spending time with friends and family.

It’s easy to see why people from all over come to the Eastern Market. The scenery, history, food and culture can amaze visitors time and time again.

Aside from the thousands of visitors that come to Eastern Market, what makes the vendors so unique? And what makes people want to purchase their products? Below are some of the local vendors and their stories who make a living selling their products at the Eastern Market every Saturday.

He makes all of the jam by himself at his home kitchen located in Three Rivers, Michigan. He says in order to get a full day’s worth of business at the Eastern Market, he will have to leave his house at 3 a.m. and sometimes won’t return until 8 or 9 p.m. at night — and that doesn’t include actually making the berries.

On the other side of the shed, Brian Faff from Canton, Michigan hands out samples of his garlic mustard from his business he calls “Boardwalk Kitchen Gourmet Garlic Mustard.” He says the original recipe for his mustard came from Budapest, Hungary. Unlike other mustard that carry egg and dairy, Faff’s mustard is egg, dairy, soy, gluten, peanut, and tree nut free. He says that it has a longer life shelf than most mustards because there’s no egg and dairy that goes bad.

In the shed next to Faff’s resides John Clark, a farmer from Romeo, Michigan. On display were rutabaga, onion, cabbage, lettuce, celery and other vegetables. The first thing that caught my eye was the sign above the stand that said “family owned for five generations.”

Clark continues the legacy of his family farm by selling his produce every Saturday at the Eastern Market. He says his favorite part about being a farmer is the freedom to do what he wants when he wants. He says farming is a great career that more young people should look into. Standing next to Clark is his his son, who was making a sale at the time. He will be the next Clark to run the family business.

Here at the Eastern Market, food isn’t just something you can buy — it’s something you can cook, too!

Although food is a main piece of what Eastern Market is all about, there are many health, beauty jewelry and many other vendors waiting to offer customers a unique, homemade product of their own.

Khalil Naim is one of the many entrepreneurs that sells non-food products here. He considered himself a regular at the Eastern Market and has been vending for more than 20 years. He makes all of the jewelry himself. He imports pieces to his jewelry from Africa, Nepal, Indonesia, New York and other places. As a Detroit native, Naim hopes he can continue to sell his creations in the city he adores.

Meanwhile, Ginnnah Muhammad considers herself a world traveler to look for new products and ingredients for her skin and hair care line. Muhammad sells natural and organic essential oils and has named her products “Essentialology.” Muhammad says that local Detroiters depend on her services at the Eastern Market, and if she misses a market say she will “hear about it” from her neighbors who depend on her products.

Muhammad didn’t attend college and says she didn’t need to when her business began to take off. She started off with five dollars and turned it into the business she has now. She has carrot lotion, black mineral scrub and many other natural ingredients in her soaps and scrubs. She says her products can work wonders and heal dry, itchy skin. She hand makes every product herself.

It is nearly impossible to catch every vendors personal story, but it is the people here at the Eastern Market selling their products that continue to attract hundreds of thousands of people eery single year. They are constantly changing, moving, coming and going, but what remains is the Eastern Market. This historical landmark continues to delight shoppers every year — and its not going anywhere anytime soon.

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