GREEN RIVER—Wild Sage Market, a food co-op startup, will be hosting an Indoor Spring Market tomorrow, April 21, from 11 am to 3 pm at Expedition Island in Green River as part of an Earth Day celebration.

The Indoor Spring Market will not only provide local and natural food items and other products, but it will also provide information on what the Wild Sage Market is.

“We will be supporting local and regional vendors that align with our vision of bringing a variety of hand-made, locally grown products to the community.

“We want the community to receive education on how a co-op works and how to become a part of this member-owned store,” Wild Sage Market Steering Committee member Stacey Dolinar said.

About the Wild Sage Market

Wild Sage Market is a food cooperative startup that is currently in the planning stages of becoming a full-service grocery store. The co-op will soon start looking for member-owners to build necessary capital to become a grocery store that sells affordable local, natural, organic, and sustainable food.

“A food cooperative is a business owned and democratically governed by its members. Co-ops are operated for the benefit of their owners to meet their mutual needs,” Wild Sage Market Steering Committee member Laurie Carollo said.

The store will be a for-profit, member-owned co-op, but it will also be open to the public. Member-owners will receive discount shopping and will share in the profits, but the entire community will be welcome to shop.

To open the grocery store, a minimum of 1,200 memberships are needed.

The Importance of Having a Food Co-op In Green River

“It is pretty well established that Green River citizens want a second grocery store,” Carollo said.

Carollo and Dolinar added that many people in the community travel elsewhere, like to Salt Lake City, or go online to shop for foods and products that are not available locally.

“Having a food co-op in Green River would not only increase the community’s access to a variety of local, regional, sustainable, and organic products, it would also benefit our community by keeping dollars local,” Carollo said.

Dolinar also pointed out the importance of having access to products that are specific to certain lifestyles and special diets.

“The ability to get items that are specific to the needs of special diets or lifestyle preferences is an important part of maintaining a healthy and happy life,” Dolinar said. “The market will provide the education and the value of quality products and food that will help to bring a broader vision of what health and wellness mean.”

The Indoor Spring Market

The spring market will have several local vendors providing food items, as well as various craft items, health products, gardening products, jewelry, home décor, and more.

“Right now we have several producers from Wyoming committed to attending. They are from Green River, Evanston, Lander, Cheyenne, and Lone Tree,” Carollo said.

These producers will be selling eggs, fresh milk, kefir, sauerkraut, goal milk products, and grass-fed beef. There will also be organic honey from Thayne.

Other Local Food Vendors

Other local vendors include Daily Knead, Mr. Joe’s Hot Sauce, Green River Goodies & Crafts, Heart of the Home, Snak Shak, Stellar Coffee, and 4-H will be operating a bake sale. These vendors will be selling the following:

• Baked goods
• Hot sauce
• Pickles
• Berry syrup
• Jam
• Pizza dough
• Local coffee
• Flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars
• Ready-to-eat snacks

Body, Health, Gardening, and Other Vendors

DoTerra Essential Oils, Young Living Essential Oils & Aroma Freedom Technique, Paula Frey author of “21 Keys to Renewing Your Health” book, and Soul Studio will also be in attendance.

There will be a few vendors related to gardening such as Wild Sage Gardening (composting), Master Gardeners, and Four Pebble Press.

Paul Frey, Pink Sink, Spirit Maven, Sawdust and Sunshine, and Cristie Shoemaker will also be offering products such as flower art, bath and body products, jewelry, and home décor.

Entertainment

The market will also include events for kids provided by Sweetwater Paint Creations and Snuggle-a-Chicken, in which people can snuggle a real, live chicken. Several local musicians will also be playing during the Earth Day celebrations.

“Folks should check out the market this weekend because it will be a chance to purchase some products normally available to us only during the Farmers Market. Supporting the spring market will not only show that Green River is interested in these types of products, but it will also help out the small local vendors who are participating,” Carollo said.

Free Admission

Admission to the market is free, and most vendors will be giving away door prizes. For more information, people can visit the event Facebook page by clicking here.