KANNAPOLIS — While the calendar and weather is still indicating wintertime, it won’t be long until spring, and with that come farmers markets and the bounty they have to offer.

The Kannapolis Farmers Market, which is open from May through September, is looking for vendors to participate in the weekly market, held from 4-7 p.m. Thursdays in the Oak Mall parking lot at the corner of Vance Avenue and Dale Earnhardt Boulevard.

Tessa Pittman, who owns Southern SweeTees, now located at 211 S. Main St., Salisbury, will be returning to the farmers market for the third year offering her homemade breads, cookies, pies, cobblers, cake pops and cakes, sharing that her red velvet cake has earned her two blue ribbons at state fairs in North Carolina and Arizona.

For the market, she said, “we do pretty much anything in the sweet arena.”

Participating in the event has gone well and, she added, “the people in the area have received what I bring.”

An additional bonus of being at the farmers market is making friends.

“It’s like a community for us now, the vendors, and we have the regulars that come out. So it’s really helped boost what I do,” Pittman said.

Plus she has had people provide some suggestions of items, which, she noted, has helped to boost her menu as well. Her menu of treats that she offers at the market is constant each week; however, she shared that she does try to include something new as well.

And it’s that community of vendors that brings her back from year to year.

“We all work well together, complement each other and then (there is) the return of our customers,” she continued. 

Pittman encouraged people to attend as there is such a wide assortment of things ranging from vegetables to goat soaps to sweets to meats to dog treats and more.

Organizers are looking for additional farmers, bakers, crafters and artisans to join the group of vendors who can likewise offer local produce, baked goods, which must be fresh and made by the vendor, cheeses, honey, jewelry, soaps, handmade crafts, pottery, art, food trucks and more.

Vendors must complete an application form and be approved by the market committee. They are also responsible for paying an annual membership fee of $30 along with a weekly rental fee of $10 per 14’ space with the option of renting multiple spaces available. Vendors must provide their own tents, tables, chairs, tablecloths, displays, bags and all other necessary items.

According to the farmer’s market website, items sold at the market must be produced in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia or Florida with proper signage telling where it came from if outside of North Carolina.

Vendors are responsible for collecting and sending their own sales tax and providing all necessary paperwork to the market manager.

Set up for the day is to begin no earlier than 3 p.m., and if a vendor is not able to attend, they must notify the manager a day before the weekly event. 

For additional information about the Kannapolis Farmers Market, along with a summary of vendor responsibilities and product requirements, a listing of what can and cannot be sold and an application form, go to www.kannapolisnc.gov/farmersmarket.

Those who are interested in being a vendor should contact Director of Economic Development Irene Sacks, either by emailing her at isacks@kannapolisnc.gov or calling 704-920-4320.