Allie Bronston and Corey Sampson have spent more than a decade building a life in Denver’s Harvey Park neighborhood. What they hadn’t found—until now—was an easy, walkable way to buy fresh, local food close to home.
This year, they’re changing that. Tired of the long commute to other markets across Denver, the couple is launching the Harvey Park Farmers Market, turning a long-held vision into a weekly community hub.
“Fresh food access shouldn’t depend on your zip code,” says Bronston. “This area has been overlooked for a long time, but we deserve that access, economic opportunity and a space to gather as a community.”
Held at Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy, the market debuted earlier this month and runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October. Designed as a full, grocery shopping-style experience, it features meat, eggs, dairy, produce, prepared foods and flowers, along with a playground, seating, green space and weekly live music from local performers.
Home to more than 62,000 residents, the 80219 zip code is Denver’s most populous—and one of its most diverse, with a high concentration of families and Latino residents. Despite its rich culinary culture of restaurants, food producers and chefs, the area has long lacked a walkable option for fresh, Colorado-grown food.
Bronston and Sampson hope the market helps close that gap. By bringing together regional farmers and ranchers, emerging and established food businesses and neighborhood residents, they aim to create an inclusive, community-centered space—one that supports local producers and keeps people coming back week after week.
In its first season, the market features more than 50 vendors, from neighborhood-based purveyors to local farms, with offerings that reflect the community’s culture. To shape the lineup, Bronston and Sampson started with their own grocery list, ensuring shoppers can find everything they need in one place.
Farm vendors include Rebel Farm, Athmar Farms and Fleischer Family Farm, while prepared food comes from businesses like Joy Hill, Taco Bella and R&R’s Texas Tacos & BBQ. Hyper-local favorites such as Harvey Park Flowers, Sfoglina and Tortilleria Las III Americas round out the mix.
For some vendors, the market represents more than just sales—it’s about connection. Skinny P. Ranch, based in Strasburg, is participating in its first full farmers market, bringing poultry and eggs while forging new relationships.
“A large part of the appeal of a farmers market is having the opportunity to meet who is making your food, which matters,” says Przemek Lott, the ranch’s owner. “We’re also looking to strengthen our community and farming relationships, both for collaboration purposes but also for mental and emotional support. There is a lot of hard work and risk involved in farming, and nobody understands that quite like another farmer.”
James O’Brien of Rebel Farm shares that perspective, adding that he sees the market as “an opportunity to get involved in the community and make our produce more accessible.”
“We connected with Allie early on when she literally walked over to our farm,” says O’Brien, whose urban hydroponic farm supplies greens to award-winning chefs and restaurants like Alma Fonda Fina, The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ and many others. “She had a clear understanding of what she wanted to build and who she wanted to cater to with this market.”
Here are some of the others businesses making their farmers market debut at Harvey Park this season:
- Hummus Capara: Owner Brady Weinstein stays busy seven days a week making hummus for his dedicated following. Currently operating out of a ghost kitchen, this market will help get his product straight into the hands of customers
- Harvey Park Flowers: Flower farmer and Harvey Park resident Allyson Rogers will be selling mixed bouquets and straight bunches grown in her own yard and neighboring gardens, with flowers rotating as the season changes
- Taco Bella Denver: Originally from Austin, Texas, owner and chef Tania Prieto is serving up breakfast tacos, putting her own spin on the Tex Mex classic
- Atelier 19 Bakery: A small cottage bakery offering fresh-baked artisan breads and pastries such as pop tarts, fresh fruit pies, biscotti, cookies and more
“Something we’ve realized in the process of launching this market that didn’t start off as a major goal is working with startups and incubating companies,” says Sampson. “The market can create real wealth, jobs and opportunity for businesses in the community to grow.”
