Farmers market is downtown's economic engine

BELOIT — With all of the investment in Beloit and its downtown area, the Beloit Farmers Market, which opens its 50th anniversary season Saturday, remains Beloit’s No. 1 tourist attraction, according to websites such as TripAdvisor.com.

It’s not just a boon for the dozens of vendors who bring their produce, baked goods, honey, jams and jellies, artisan crafts and scents and skin care to sell weekly. It’s a tremendous generator for the businesses in downtown Beloit as well.

When asked if she was looking forward to the Farmers Market’s opening Saturday, Joan Siekierski, co-owner of Bagels & More, 324 State St., rolled her eyes.

“Well, it’s just crazy. It’s just crazy,” Siekierski said. “We get a line through the door most of the day, and, you know, it’s always just prepping the employees, making sure we’re all not losing our minds throughout the day.”

Indeed, according to Placer.ai, Bagels & More last year was the second most visited location before the market and the No. 1 most visited location after the market. Placer.ai is a location analytics platform that tracks foot traffic by tracking cell phones.

The Placer.ai data showed that it’s not just Bagels & More benefitting from the market. Bushel & Peck’s, Lucy’s #7 Burger Bar, the Clark Gas Station on Broad Street and Zen Sushi & Grill ranked second, third, seventh and 10th among the places where visitors would go after the market.

Many families apparently use the market as part of a grocery shopping day trip. Woodman’s Market and Walmart ranked fifth and eighth on the list.

The Placer.ai data also showed that the farmers market is very much a regional draw. The Beloit Daily News pulled Placer.ai data for every Saturday from May to October in 2024 and it showed that more than 70% of the visitors — which would include the vendors — were from outside of Beloit.

“Oh, I know. We get people in here from Rockford and Freeport (in Illinois) and Janesville,” Siekierski said.

Last October, when Kristy Pearson opened Home Decor & Gifts at 316 State St., she specifically said she’d been eyeing a location in the farmers market foot print, which is State Street and East Grand Avenue.

“The farmers market is May to October,” Pearson said after opening the store. “That’s hundreds of people in front of this location every weekend.”

According to Placer.ai, she was underestimating the traffic. Of the 26 weekends that the Beloit Daily News received data from in 2024, there were more than 1,000 visitors on 18 Saturdays and more than 1,500 on six.

Siekierski said not everyone benefits equally from the market, though.

“We’ve had some (business owners) say it impacted them in a negative way,” Siekierski said. “Some of our retailers didn’t have anything that appealed to the market crowd. And it blocks your parking.”

Tip to Toe Nails and Noggins Hair Studio was one of the businesses that did not directly benefit. For 20 years, the studio was located at 309 State St.

“We are not a walk-in place. Everyone has to have appointments and parking was an issue,” Tip to Toe owner Amy Walker said. “We have customers who’d have to park five blocks away and my elderly clients can’t walk that far.”

That won’t be an issue this year. Tip to Toe Nails and Noggins Hair Studio relocated to 635 Broad St. Walker said she didn’t move because of the market, instead it was because the building sold to a new owner and she didn’t like the rent terms.

“From a parking standpoint, we’re in a better spot, but we’ll still see farmers market visitors,” Walker said. “The coffee truck next to us (Rise & Grind) said they love the market because lots of families will park a few blocks away because it’s easier to get in and out. They’ll get their wagons out, load up the kids, stop at the truck to get their coffee and then head to the market.”

The Downtown Beloit Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. — 1 p.m. each Saturday through October.