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There is something really special about a farmers market.
You show up, the tents are up, the tables are full, people are shopping, makers are chatting with customers, and everything feels like it just came together.
But of course, it didn’t.
Behind every booth is a small business owner who has spent hours making, preparing, loading, driving, setting up, selling, packing back down, and doing it all again. And behind the market itself is an incredible amount of planning, communication, problem-solving, and community-building that most of us never see.
That is exactly why I was so excited to sit down with Sarah Dylan Jensen, Executive Director of the Snohomish Farmers Market and host of The Market Maven podcast, for this episode of Hey Julie Simon.
Sarah has such a unique perspective because she sees small businesses from so many angles. She has a background in social media and digital storytelling, she works closely with makers and farmers, she manages the moving pieces of a large weekly market, and she spends a lot of time thinking about what makes people feel connected to a place, a business, and each other.
As the founder of Moss Bags by Julie, I loved getting to hear what she notices from the other side of the booth.
We talked about how she got started, how the Snohomish Farmers Market has grown, what strong vendors tend to do differently, the mistakes newer vendors often make, how storytelling can help a business feel more human, and why community matters so much more than we sometimes realize.
Connect With Sarah Dylan Jensen
You can find Sarah and follow more of her work here:
- The Market Maven: yourmarketmaven.com
- Instagram: @yourmarketmaven
- Facebook: @themarketmaven
- Snohomish Farmers Market
How Sarah Found Her Way Into Farmers Markets
Sarah’s path into farmers markets was not something she had mapped out years in advance.
She started her business in 2013 with a focus on social media for small businesses. At the time, Facebook for Business was still relatively new for many mom-and-pop businesses, and Sarah was helping local companies figure out how to show up online.
Through volunteering and networking in downtown Snohomish, she started meeting more business owners, community leaders, and people connected to the city.
Then one day, someone she knew through the City of Snohomish called and told her the farmers market was looking for a new manager.
Sarah’s reaction was basically, “I don’t know anything about doing that.”
The response she got?
“Eh, you could do it.”
And apparently, that was enough.
She applied, interviewed, got the role, and was handed what she described as a thumb drive and a box of paper applications.
Her first thought was:
“There’s gotta be a better way.”
At the time, the market had around 35 vendors each week. Today, Sarah says it hosts around 125 vendors weekly.
I loved this part of her story because it is such a reminder that sometimes the thing you end up being really good at is not the thing you originally thought you were building toward.
Sometimes it starts with a conversation, a connection, or someone else seeing something in you before you see it in yourself.
How Her Role Evolved Over Time
As the market grew, Sarah’s role grew right along with it.
At one point, she was managing or helping run three different markets on back-to-back days while also juggling other work. Eventually, that pace became too much.
She talked openly about how exhausting it became and how narrowing her focus to one market gave her the ability to show up better for the people she serves.
That really stood out to me.
Small business owners are often told to keep adding. Add another product. Add another event. Add another sales channel. Add another offer.
But sometimes growth looks like doing less.
Sometimes removing one thing gives you the capacity to do another thing really well.
Sarah described how focusing fully on the Snohomish Farmers Market allowed her to put more energy into the vendors, the community, and the experience she was creating.
That is such a good reminder for any of us building something long-term.
What Really Goes On Behind the Scenes of a Farmers Market
One of the things Sarah wants people to understand is how much thought goes into a market before a customer ever arrives.
She talks about “peeling back the layers of the 10-by-10 tents,” and I think that description is perfect.
There is vendor communication, onboarding, rules, maps, booth placement, traffic flow, scheduling, customer questions, city relationships, logistics, and a hundred tiny decisions that all affect the way the day feels.
Sarah calls herself an over-communicator.
She wants vendors to know what to expect so they can show up feeling prepared instead of stressed. She has created onboarding videos, sends detailed information, and works hard to make sure vendors understand how the market operates.
And when someone questions a booth placement or decision, she can usually explain exactly why she made it.
That is the kind of detail customers never see. They just know the market feels good. And really, that is true for so many businesses.
A lot of the best work is invisible.
Customers see the finished product. They rarely see the systems, preparation, thought, and problem-solving that made that experience possible.
What Strong Farmers Market Vendors Do Differently
This was one of my favorite parts of the conversation because Sarah gets to watch so many product-based businesses in real time.
She sees who people stop for, who customers remember, who engages well, and she also sees who struggles.
When I asked what her strongest vendors tend to do differently, two things really stood out.
They make it easy for the market to support them online, and they are present when customers are standing in front of them.
Sarah notices vendors who consistently post on social media, tag the market, and create content she can easily reshare.
That is such a simple thing, but it matters.
If you are already creating content about where you will be, what you are bringing, or what you are excited about, make it easy for the market or event organizer to amplify it.
The second piece was even more important.
Engage with people.
Sarah talked about vendors who sit behind their booths or spend too much time looking down at their phones and then wonder why sales were slow.
That can be hard to hear, but it is also incredibly useful.
You do not need to pounce on every person who walks by. You do not need to oversell. But you do need to be available.
A smile, eye contact, a hello, or simply looking like you are happy to be there can make a huge difference.
As a vendor myself, I know there is a balance. Not every customer wants to immediately engage. Some people want to look first, check a price tag, or get a feel for the booth before they start talking.
But being present matters.
A Few Simple Farmers Market Tips Sarah Shared
Sarah also had some really practical advice for newer vendors, and none of it was complicated.
A few of her biggest tips were:
- Read the market information before you arrive.
- Follow the rules and setup instructions.
- Give yourself more time than you think you need.
- Arrive early enough to handle whatever goes wrong.
- Walk the market before opening if you can.
- Introduce yourself to neighboring vendors.
- Learn who else is there so you can recommend other businesses to customers.
That last one is such a good one.
When you know the vendors around you, you can help customers find what they are looking for even when it is not something you sell.
And other vendors can do the same for you.
That is where the feeling of community really starts to build.
Why Your Neighboring Vendor Is Not Your Competition
Sarah shared that she has watched people become true “market besties” simply because she happened to place their booths beside each other.
They introduce themselves, help each other, get to know one another, and eventually start requesting spaces together at other events.
I loved that because it is one of the things I have always appreciated about markets too.
You meet people who understand the weird hours, the setup, the weather, the slow days, the great days, the funny customer comments, and all the little things that come with selling in person.
And when you know the people around you, you naturally start sending customers their way.
Someone asks if you know where to find a certain type of product, and you can say, “Yes, go see them.”
That does not take anything away from your own business.
It makes the whole event better.
What Sarah Has Learned About Storytelling
Sarah’s background in social media and digital storytelling came through so naturally in our conversation.
One of the things I loved is that she does not talk about marketing as if it has to be polished or perfectly planned.
A lot of her best content grew out of simply sharing what was already happening.
A friend suggested she start showing her outfits and earrings because people were already asking what she was wearing.
That turned into a simple way for Sarah to spotlight local businesses and makers she genuinely loves.
And eventually, customers started approaching her at the market asking where they could find the earrings she had shared online.
That is such a good example of what marketing can look like when it feels natural.
You are not always directly selling.
Sometimes you are simply sharing something you like, something you use, something you believe in, or something that is part of your everyday life.
That creates connection.
If Showing Up Online Feels Awkward, Sarah’s Advice Is Simple
Sarah admitted that creating content and starting a podcast did not come naturally at first.
When her business coach suggested she start a podcast, Sarah initially thought:
“Nobody wants to hear me.”
Her coach told her:
“Just press record.”
That advice stuck.
Sarah said it took her weeks just to record the intro for her podcast, which was only around 25 seconds long.
When she finally did it, she took herself out to dinner to celebrate.
I loved that.
Sometimes we think people who are comfortable online were born that way.
Usually, they were not.
They just kept practicing.
Sarah also shared that one of her most widely viewed videos was not polished at all. It was filmed in her car after a really difficult day. The lighting was not perfect. The angle was not perfect. It was emotional and real.
And people responded to it.
That was such a good reminder that there is a difference between being professional and being overly polished.
People still want to see the human.
What This Means for Product-Based Businesses
This is where Sarah’s perspective feels especially useful for makers and product-based business owners.
If talking about your own products all the time feels uncomfortable, storytelling gives you another way in.
Instead of asking, “How do I sell this today?” you can ask:
- What is happening behind the scenes?
- Why did I make this?
- What did I learn while creating it?
- What problem does it solve?
- What story does this product carry?
- Who is using it?
- What part of the process would surprise someone?
- What is happening in my business that feels worth sharing?
That kind of content still supports your business, but it does not feel like you are constantly shouting, “Buy this.”
You are giving people a reason to care.
The Things Customers Say
We also had to talk about the comments that come with selling in person, because every vendor has at least a few.
Sarah mentioned hearing customers ask makers things like:
“Do you make all of this?”
And of course, the classic:
“I could make that for cheaper.”
I shared one I have heard too:
“Do people actually buy these?”
And really, what are you supposed to say to that?
Yes.
They do.
Maybe not you, but that's okay.
Sarah also shared one of my favorite responses for people who come up to the market and say:
“Do you know what you should do?”
She tells them they are welcome to volunteer first.
I loved that.
Because it gets back to something we talked about throughout the entire episode: people rarely see the full picture.
They see the booth, the market, the Instagram post, or the finished product.
They do not always see the years of work behind it.
Why Sarah Started The Market Maven Podcast
Sarah started The Market Maven podcast because she wanted to tell more of those behind-the-scenes stories.
She wanted people to understand what goes into running a farmers market, but she also wanted to highlight small business owners, farmers, community organizations, and the people doing meaningful work locally.
The podcast has grown into a place where she can talk about small business, agriculture, community impact, food systems, local events, and the stories that often get overlooked.
She also talked about how much she values local podcasting and amplifying voices within the community.
That part especially resonated with me.
There are plenty of podcasts about giant companies, big-name founders, and massive success stories.
And those can absolutely be interesting.
But I also want to hear from:
- the woman building something down the street
- the maker beside me at an event
- the business owner figuring things out in real time
- the people creating businesses that actually shape the communities we live in
That is a huge part of why I started Hey Julie Simon too.
My Biggest Takeaways From This Conversation
There was so much in this conversation, but these are the things I keep coming back to:
- Show up prepared. A little more planning gives you a lot more room to breathe.
- Be present. Your product matters, but so does the experience people have with you.
- Get to know the businesses around you. Community is not built by standing alone.
- Make it easy for people to support you. Tag the market. Share where you are. Give people something they can reshare.
- Tell the story, not just the sale. People want to understand the person behind the product.
- Do not wait until you feel perfectly ready. Sometimes you just have to press record.
- Pay attention to your capacity. More is not always the answer.
- Support local with action, not just sentiment. Shop, share, recommend, show up, and tell people about the businesses you love.
Connect With Sarah Dylan Jensen
You can find Sarah and follow more of her work here:
- The Market Maven: yourmarketmaven.com
- Instagram: @yourmarketmaven
- Facebook: @themarketmaven
- Snohomish Farmers Market
And of course, you can hear our full conversation on the Hey Julie Simon podcast.
About Hey Julie Simon
Hey Julie Simon is a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build a small business that lasts.
I’m Julie Simon, founder of Moss Bags, which I’ve been building since 2013.
On the podcast, I sit down with women behind small businesses and creative brands to talk about how they started, how their businesses evolved, what they have learned along the way, and the practical pieces that keep their businesses moving forward.
Because building something with heart is not just about strategy.
It is about the human behind it too.
If you are building something - or dreaming about starting - follow Hey Julie Simon wherever you listen to podcasts.
And if this conversation resonated, share it with another woman who is in it too.
I cannot wait to keep building this community together.
