BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Black Mountain farmers and artisans have been through a lot over the last two months.
Profitable harvest months September and October were effectively cut out of the market calendar due to Hurricane Helene, which had a harsh impact on the Black Mountain community, says Jacqueline Smith, the market manager for Black Mountain Tailgate Market.
“This happened and everything kind of went out the window,” Smith said. “We didn’t know if our location was going to open up because of the recovery organizations that were stationed at the market grounds.”
The Black Mountain Tailgate Market is typically a regular presence on autumn weekends at the First Baptist Church of Black Mountain, which has been the market host site for over a decade. Dozens of vendors sell their wares to a bustling parking lot of shoppers from 9 a.m. to noon while live music plays in the background.
Losing the market business was a huge blow to the community vendors.
“It’s been nothing short of devastating, I think, for a lot of our vendors,” Smith said. “The ones that rely on markets for their main source of income, particularly and especially these micro-businesses that have just a small number of employees, a lot of whom work and live in Western North Carolina.”
After the storm, the Black Mountain Tailgate team managed to resuscitate the season in a stripped-down fashion from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning Saturday, Oct. 26 and extending until the Black Mountain Holiday Harvest Festival on Saturday, Nov. 23.
“It’s been very skeleton, sort of,” said Smith. “I figured that folks were gonna have a hard time getting back to business regardless of how bad they were physically impacted.”
In lieu of the traditional vendor fee, Black Mountain Tailgate set up a “pay-as-you-go” system and an open call for vendors, supporting the markets with the organization’s summer earnings and merch sales.
“Whoever shows up shows up,” Smith said. “We don’t have any other major programming aside from some small-scale children’s programs and the music kinda has to be a thing, because our musicians need to survive too.”
Additionally, several food access programs were enacted at the markets to support the community, too. The market is EBT-friendly as well as supported by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In fact, thanks to support from the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, SNAP credits were bolstered to $20 at the markets for those in need.
Traditionally, the Black Mountain tailgate season ends with a Holiday Harvest Festival. For the 30th anniversary of the tailgate market, Black Mountain Tailgate had already planned to split the festival into two days: Saturday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 23. Those dates will hold this year. Although the festival may go on with less fanfare than usual, Smith assured that there would be no shortage of heart.
“The farming community is beautiful, and small, and tight-knit and rich. Maybe not rich monetarily, but they are rich in that they have love in their hearts, and they’ve got open arms and they are just some of the kindest people you’ve ever met,” Smith said. “The case is the same with pretty much everybody that walks into that market and certainly everybody that attends on a regular basis. It is truly a magical little place.”
Looking ahead, Smith sees a bright, hopeful future for the market.
“I think big things are coming for all of us. I think this is a really good opportunity for us to think big. To think beautiful. To think that all things are possible. Anything is possible,” Smith said. “We can do it, right?”
For the future of the tailgate market, one need not look so far ahead as next season. Smith has been working closely with White Horse Black Mountain, a nonprofit geared towards arts exhibition, to host the second annual Holiday Market Series at their establishment at 105 Montreat Road. The series will begin Dec. 6.
For more information about the Black Mountain Tailgate Market or its upcoming events, visit their website at www.blackmountainmarket.org or check out their Facebook page.