Paige Seburn
Niagara Now/The Lake Report

For some, the last day of this year’s farmers’ market at Garrison Village on Saturday was a chance to stop by to check out the latest produce from this fall’s harvest season.

For those like Hannah Grace Medalla, it’s about more than produce — it’s about getting to know the people who do business in the area.

“I go to different markets because I want to connect with local businesses,” said the private chef and caterer, who runs her own company.

However, for longtime vendors Ken and Rose Bartel, of Bartel Organics, this season marks the end of an era.

After 18 years of working at the annual market, they announced via a Facebook post they would be retiring from the market days, citing the physical demands of farming and market life.

“As we have aged we have had to rely heavily on our kids to help us with set up and take down every Saturday for four years now, and with certain tasks on the farm that we can no longer do alone,” the Bartels wrote in their post.

In the nearly two decades they’ve worked the market, they’ve only missed two Saturdays, they wrote in their post.

“Thank you to our patrons for your continued support through these 18 years, because without any of you, we wouldn’t be here at all,” they wrote.

Medalla said it’s the connections with vendors — like Bartel Farms — that make the market a special place, where personal relationships and shared passion for local goods create a strong sense of community.

She finds value in connecting with farmers and local suppliers at the market, such as Cheese Secrets, a vendor she has sourced from for her catering events, she said.

The market presents opportunities to build lasting relationships which support the growing community of local artisans, she said.