From Farmers Markets

From Farmers Markets allows you to find farmers markets directly around you, and order from farmers markets all around the US. Choose a better alternative to big-box shopping.

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I was inspired by trying to find more ethical alternatives to Amazon. I am trying to support more small businesses. I try to shop on Etsy. But even Etsy has been overrun by mass produced products. So I started making a point of going to more farmers markets. I was inspired to make a website that gives farmers markets sellers more visibility, and makes it easier to purchase their products.

My website allows farmers markets vendors to set up their own storefront profiles. They list their name, the farmers market(s) they sell at, a description of what they sell, and their products. They can choose to sell their products on the website, or just display them. People visiting the website can see the farmers markets sellers around them, and leave reviews on the sellers stores. They can also purchase products from farmers markets all across the US.

I built this website using Lovable.

A major challenge I ran into was how I was going to show the larger farmers market that the individual vendor sells at. I used to think I was going to have the actual general farmers market join the website, and approve vendor submissions from people who sell at it. But I got over this problem with a more simple solution. I added an input form to the vendor application, and connected it to Google Maps farmers markets. The vendor just selects whatever farmers market they sell at from google maps API. Then, the information about the farmers market (like, location, opening hours, reviews) is pulled from Google Maps, and appears at the left side of the vendors' page.

I am proud of how easy it is to upload your farmers market onto this website. I know how difficult and expensive it can be to build your own website, and advertise it. Because I want to support farmers market sellers, and give them a larger platform, I'm proud that this website makes it an easy and seamless process. My website allows farmers market sellers to access a larger audience, with no hard work involved.

I learned to ask for feedback right away, from the people I want on my website. I went to farmers markets, and collect contact information from the sellers on there. I worked with their advice, criticism, and feedback, to make the website the most user friendly for them. I learned that it is so important to make websites easy and straightforward to join. This seems to matter much more than flashy aesthetics.

What's next for From Farmers Markets, is recruiting more sellers. With more sellers, buyers, and visitors, I will really be able to see what works and what doesn't. And I will be able to perfect my website.

Built With

  • lovable
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