Our History
The Tulsa Farmers’ Market (TFM) first opened as the Cherry Street Farmers’ Market in April of 1998 in the Jason’s Deli parking lot at 15th & South Peoria. Tulsa was hungry for fresh, local, and nutritious foods and the Green Country farming community was ready to meet that need. The Market’s founders Marilyn Ihloff and Susan Simmons along with Susan Gray, Jim East, and Richard Groenendyke worked with Cherry Street business owners, area farmers, and Tulsa shoppers to establish a vibrant market beyond comparison. A few of the original vendors are still vendors today!
As TFM has grown- up from a handful of vendors in the late 1990s to well over 100 today- it has gained widespread support from the community at large. Located in Lincoln Plaza from 1998 to 2009, the Market moved to Cherry Street in 2010 with the strong support of market goers, merchants, and the city council. Occupying East 15th Street from South Quaker to South Rockford, the Market continued to expand, accommodating more vendors and offering more products. In December of 2019, the Market moved to the Kendall Whittier neighborhood at Admiral Blvd & South Lewis Ave where it continues to flourish.
The Tulsa Farmers’ Market is a true Oklahoma Grown market, meaning all agricultural products must be grown or raised in Oklahoma. It is also a 100% producer market, requiring all agricultural products to be grown or raised by the farmer/vendor selling at the market, and the vast majority of TFM vendors are producers. There is absolutely no buying and reselling permitted at TFM- this eliminates the middleman ensuring that the products offered are fresh, local, and sustainable.
The Tulsa Farmers’ Market operates year-round and therefore provides producers an opportunity to connect with loyal customers no matter the season! TFM is a 501c3 nonprofit venture, overseen by a volunteer board consisting of vendors and community members. The board crafts market policy, accepts new vendors, supervises market operations, and is responsible for the finances of the organization. The day-to-day operations are handled by TFM’s Executive Director, Financial Director, Logistics Coordinator, and other market staff.
