Like plants, flowers and produce that grow from the ground up, the Downtown Sanger Farmers Market grew from a tiny seed planted in 2022 and fully bloomed in 2023. With no grocery store in town (one is on the way), folks have been driving to Denton or Gainesville to do their shopping.
And now the Downtown Sanger Farmers Market, held on the first and third Saturdays and the third Sunday of every month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is sprouting two additional locations: one in Valley View and one in Tioga.
Planting seeds
Amber Whitworth-Spigner, married to farmer and rancher Garrett Spigner, understands the need for midsize and small farm vendors to have places where they can sell their crops — eggs, produce, plants, meat, milk and home-crafted items. That’s what prompted her to explore starting a farmers market in Sanger, where they both grew up and graduated from high school.
“Every city in general needs a farmers market,” she explained. “It’s where local farmers and ranchers can sell their goods. The prices may be higher than a grocery store, but shoppers get farm-fresh products and can learn more about them from farmers and ranchers, too.”
In 2022, she planted the seed for her idea by researching farmers markets and working with the Sanger city government to find a location. Her parents own a piece of property in the downtown area, but it wasn’t zoned for that use — so Whitworth-Spigner tried again. With the help of City Council member Victor Gann, Stephen Baker Field was chosen, conveniently near Interstate 35.
In March 2023, Whitworth-Spigner’s dream took root when the Downtown Sanger Farmers Market opened with 25 vendors. Approximately 250 customers shopped at each event that year. Now she coordinates bringing vendors to each market and has discovered the difficulty in finding farmers who sell produce.
“I came into this [venture] somewhat naive about farmers markets,” said Whitworth-Spigner. “I’ve learned that there are scales: Larger farms can’t come to market because they have so many tasks; they just aren’t able to leave. A small number of farmers are able to step away from their operations and sell at our market.”
Crafters have been added, too, and the Tarrant Area Food Bank comes every third Saturday to showcase recipes based on vendors’ products. In 2024, the market was authorized to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from shoppers, too. Both the Sanger and Valley View venues are certified farmers markets with SNAP; the Tioga site should be certified by this summer.
Fertilizing with knowledge
While the Downtown Sanger Farmers Market enables area farmers and ranchers to sell their products, it also teaches community members where their food comes from, not just sitting on a grocery store shelf — something that’s important for Whitworth-Spigner.
Although April dates were canceled because of weather, May market events in 2025 have given shoppers and vendors a chance to learn from farmers how to compost and pick up soil sample kits from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. And during a May event called “Sow, Know and Grow,” representatives from the Texas Department of Agriculture, Denton County Farm Bureau, Texas A&M and the Antique Tractors Club provided information about topics for vendors and community members alike.
The Spigners are employed full-time as well. Garrett raises corn, wheat and milo, a small grain, plus cows and chickens. Amber is a medical assistant for an allergist’s office in Denton, and her nights and weekends are filled with farmers market business: scheduling vendors, managing social media posts, creating special events and maintaining the market website, www.thefarmerswifemarkets.com.
Whitworth-Spigner also does some traveling with her husband, who is a member of the board of directors for the Denton County Farm Bureau. Those travels help inform legislators and other leaders about issues facing farmers and ranchers — particularly how farmland is disappearing and how only 1% of the nation’s population is made up of farmers.
As a result, the couple has amassed facts and figures that they share during visits with government agencies about how farmers are struggling. They provide that same information to community members who shop at the Downtown Sanger Farmers Market.
Growing with care
The Sanger market, although young, is growing.
The number of vendors at the market has grown from 25 two years ago to between 40 and 45 this year. Its location has moved from Stephen Baker Field to downtown Sanger at 307 Bolivar St., which benefits local businesses in that area as well. Market attendance now averages 1,000 shoppers. And, the expansion to Valley View in 2024 and Tioga in 2025 reflects the need for markets in those communities.
Additionally, the Downtown Sanger Farmers Market is rated second in the state and fifth in the region by the American Farmland Trust Celebration. The markets are members of Go Texan, Farm Bureau of Denton County, the Farmers Market Coalition, the Sanger and Valley View chambers of commerce and the America’s Farmers Market Celebration.
Seeds planted three years ago by Whitworth-Spigner are multiplying, and her dedication to farmers and ranchers is reflected in the success of the farmers markets she manages. For more information, including a calendar of events and markets, visit www.thefarmerswifemarkets.com. For questions, send an email to amber@thefarmerswifemarkets.com.