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Michelle Cooper of Moline, with her son Kainan, prepare to pay at the Valley of the Amish booth with owner Debra Wiley on Wednesday at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport. Shop owners at the market are doing their best not to raise prices, despite inflation.
Shelli Eng, a vendor at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport, arranges some of her vegetables Wednesday at her booth.
Shelli Eng, a vendor at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport, arranges some of her vegetables Wednesday at her booth.
People shop at the Freight House Farmers Market.
Shoppers mingle at the Freight House Farmers Market.
Shelli Eng a vendor at the Freight House Farmer's Market in Davenport arranges some of her vegetables at her booth Wednesday.
Shelli Eng a vendor at the Freight House Farmer's Market in Davenport arranges some of her vegetables at her booth Wednesday.
Shelli Eng, right, a vendor at the Freight House Farmer's Market in Davenport talks with customers Keith and Kelly Renkosik of Davenport at her vegetable booth Wednesday.
Brian Riley sells pasta at the Freight House Farmers Market, abuzz with customers and vendors on a recent weekday.
The owner of Papa Jerry's Fresh Pasta, Riley is a veteran of the market, originally selling embroidery. One day he purchased a pasta machine and began crafting his own to sell.
Despite record inflation and the soaring costs of ingredients, Riley said he's been able to keep costs low since pasta requires only a few items. His prices have remained firm, and they will unless absolutely necessary, he said.
"I could (raise prices), because everybody else is, but I can't do that," he said. "Once you raise the price, you tend not to lower it."
Seeking reprieve from rising prices for items from food to phones, shoppers are turning to local businesses to find deals. Vendors at the farmers market say a steady flow of customers has allowed many small businesses to keep costs fixed.
Surrounding the walls of Riley's booth are other various products: dry rubs, BBQ sauces and oils. Riley stocks Pickle Creek Herbs, a Fairfield-based company that creates herb-infused vinegar and oils. Some of those items have become more expensive because of supply shortage problems that continue to hamper the global economy.
"The price of their packaging went up so high. They couldn't get bottles, so once they did, they bought tons and had to pay storage, so they had to raise the prices, too," he said. "They had no choice. When they had the opportunity, they had to jump."
Storing products can be a problem for farmers, also. With the market open on the weekends, those with produce left over were having to take home the extra to feed to their animals.
Enter the Pay It Forward Market.
Run by volunteers, the outdoor booth runs on donations from farmers who were present during the weekend and had extra produce that did not sell. The produce is then sold and all funds go into a pot to be split among nonprofits at the end of the season.
Wednesday night, Shelli Eng was running the booth. Only in its third week, the leftovers market is picking up steam, she said.
"We wanted to come up with a way that farmers could win, even if they have a little bit of a loss," she said.
Back inside the main market, other entrepreneurs were finding ways to cash in on their creativity. LaNette Turner owns Impress Custom Designs after she picked up a new hobby during the pandemic. The small business creates shirts, key chains and accessories.
Two years ago, Turner left her 20-year career in higher education to pursue her passions and has not looked back.
"I had no creative outlet whatsoever, so this allows me to express exactly who I am," she said.
Inflation has been no match for her, either. Turner said she had been able to keep prices down with no issue, she said.
Amber Herrin, owner of Amber Marie Jewelry, has heard similar feedback. With a decade of experience behind her, Herrin has been able to stockpile over the years.
"I've always made my prices accessible to everybody so that they don't have to spend an arm and a leg just to get handmade, local jewelry," she said. "Doing that keeps it steady for when prices are high."
Herrin said she had seen more people than usual at the farmers market, and the low prices were probably the reason why.
"I feel like the prices down here are better since they're coming directly from the farm," she said. "But really, sales have been great this year for inflation being so high."
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Michelle Cooper of Moline, with her son Kainan, prepare to pay at the Valley of the Amish booth with owner Debra Wiley on Wednesday at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport. Shop owners at the market are doing their best not to raise prices, despite inflation.
Shelli Eng, a vendor at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport, arranges some of her vegetables Wednesday at her booth.
Shelli Eng, a vendor at the Freight House Farmers Market in Davenport, arranges some of her vegetables Wednesday at her booth.
People shop at the Freight House Farmers Market.
Shoppers mingle at the Freight House Farmers Market.
Shelli Eng a vendor at the Freight House Farmer's Market in Davenport arranges some of her vegetables at her booth Wednesday.
Shelli Eng a vendor at the Freight House Farmer's Market in Davenport arranges some of her vegetables at her booth Wednesday.
Shelli Eng, right, a vendor at the Freight House Farmer's Market in Davenport talks with customers Keith and Kelly Renkosik of Davenport at her vegetable booth Wednesday.
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