History of the Market

For more than a century, farmers have been selling their fresh produce on the site of the Dallas Farmers Market. It started in the late 1800s as farmers came to town to sell from wagons set up in various locations.

Around 1900, the intersection of Pearl and Cadiz streets became the hub of a brisk wholesale business. There, large quantities of produce were sold, along with chickens, pigs, goats, and eggs.

As Dallas grew, so did demand for farm-fresh produce and meat, and it was clear that a better-organized system was needed. In 1939, the site of the Dallas Farmers Market was formalized and the first shed established. The site was officially sanctioned as a municipally-owned and operated market in December 1941.

Over the past six decades, the Dallas Farmers Market has matured into the year-round area attraction that it is today.