The winter months often leave Chicagoans feeling like there’s less to do as snow and cold weather cover and obscure many activities that give Chicago its charm. But there are exceptions. 

For the last 16 years, the Logan Square Farmers Market has run a winter session from December to March, giving customers and local business owners the opportunity to buy and sell amid the harsh weather.

Yoel Kifle makes the trip to the Logan Square indoor market from Jefferson Park. He says the market’s eclectic combination of curated, locally-grown products and ethnically-inspired food offerings make the trip worth it.

 “You can’t find this stuff at Jewel-Osco,” Kifle said.

The farmers market, located in the Avondale Collective at 2800 N. Milwaukee Ave., hosts 20 or more vendors each Saturday in the winter from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to local produce, coffee, ready-to-eat foods and other goods, the market also has live music. The market has been voted “Best Farmers Market” in the Chicago Reader for four consecutive years.

The market vendors include Enza Accomando and Jorge Suarez, a couple who runs Mini Rico, a mini empanada business. Inspired by Venezuelan cuisine, Accomando and Suarez sell empanadas made of cornmeal and filled with cheese, chicken, carnitas, beef or tofu. 

“We’re really enjoying being in touch with people, talking about our products,” Accomando said. “These (empanadas) are from where we come from.”

Accomando and Suarez, who both work nine-to-five jobs, were inspired to start selling empanadas as a side business after their friends and families gave their food high praise. Making empanadas every Sunday for her two adult children, Accomando’s son convinced her to sell them to the public. 

Starting off in November at the Logan Square outdoor market, they quickly moved to the indoor market in December. 

The Logan Square Chamber of Commerce, made up of over 200 small business owners in the neighborhood, coordinates the Logan Square Farmers Market as a nonprofit organization.

In addition to empanadas, the market houses a variety of other products. Joe’s Blues, a blueberry stand, offers fresh, organic blueberries, as well as blueberry juice, cider, jam, honey, kombucha, soap and raisins. The owners said the blueberries, grown in Bangor, Michigan, are cultivated free of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. 

“It’s very interesting stuff — affordable too,” said Maxwell Zhang, a market visitor and University of Chicago student. “I always like the vibes in farmers markets. It’s really great that they have this in the winter because the demand is definitely there.” 

Many vendors at the market, including Mini Rico and Joe’s Blues, do not have brick-and-mortar locations, instead relying entirely on markets and online commerce. The market provides a steady source of income for small business owners in the winter.

Commuting from the suburbs, the Mini Rico vendors said that during the winter, they would have to rely on internet sales if it wasn’t for the market. 

“Where we live, they don’t have these kinds of markets,” Accomando said, showing how markets like Logan Square’s remain a vital resource for Chicago’s small business owners.

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