LEIPERS FORK, Tenn. (WTVF) — A farmer in Leipers Fork has transformed her vision for a local farmer's and maker's market into reality, creating a new community gathering space where neighbors can connect while supporting local producers.
Tabitha Mangrum had the idea five years, which has now become a reality. Wednesday was considered their trial run.
"I wanted to bring the community back to the basics," she said. "And just do homemade, homegrown stuff."
The market features locally produced goods similar to what you might find at larger farmer's markets, but with an emphasis on keeping everything community-based and in the neighborhood.
For Mangrum, the market also holds personal significance.
"They had one probably five years ago and that's actually how I met my husband," she said. "I got a job next to the farmer's market and then we ran into each other."
The new venture builds on Mangrum's previous community initiative - an honor system farmstand that sparked a local trend.
"It's been on my mind and I actually started the farmstand – you can almost call it a trend around here so I had the first farmstand and now there's almost 10," Mangrum said.
While the honor system farmstands have been successful, Mangrum believes the market offers something those stands can't - face-to-face interaction.
"With our farmstand, we're not out there manning them," she said. "It's just an honor system. But here we get to meet our neighbor."
The market is on Wednesdays from 4-6 at Pond Church of Christ in Leipers Fork. They're looking for vendors and if you're interested, you can message Tabitha on Instagram @mangums_farmstand.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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