A five-month-old farmers market at Point Loma High School on Sundays will soon be expanding to a second location on Saturdays.
“We are constantly building upon, and expanding, the farmers market at PLHS,” said chef Brady Farmer, the originator of farmers markets in Point Loma. “We are in final negotiations to begin a farmers kids market, designed for kids and families with kid vendors and all kid-friendly food and fun, sometime in December at a location in Liberty Station.”
Both farmers markets benefit Devoted to Youth Foundation, a nonprofit Brady Farmer first developed in Los Angeles and has since expanded into San Diego. His nonprofit’s mission is to help underprivileged youth and families in need.
Farmer has co-opted the services of Party Pop San Diego, a children’s entertainment business, in his market-building efforts.
“As the father of two boys, I founded Party Pop San Diego with the mission to provide a fun, safe, and active community for children,” said proprietor Iyad Bibi. “Our offerings range from inflatables to engaging experiences. Partnering with the kids farmers market and providing inflatables for the children brings my mission to life. For me, I love that I’m creating an interactive space for children, and in turn, complimenting the market’s offerings. We are so grateful to be here enabling the fun.”
Zevin Einhorn, a 10-year-old who’s been selling handmade jewelry at a booth at PLHS, is excited about being allowed to market her wares. She talked about her company.
“I went to an art camp and there was an entrepreneur sale and I started to make some earrings and they sold like hot cakes,” Zevin said adding her mom suggested she test market selling her earrings to her grandmother and others. “So I made several pairs and got eight compliments in one day,” Zevin said adding her mom then encouraged her to “try to do a business out of it.”
Her business, “My Crafts By Zevin,” is mostly earrings with a few bracelets. “I have like 100 different types of earrings,” Zevin said adding she sells them weekly at OB Farmers Market on Wednesdays.
“I like to do it because, whenever I sell a pair, it makes them (customers) smile, and me smile,” Zevin said adding, “I also like it when people buy them and come back. I love repeat customers.”
Zevin’s dad, Eric Einhorn, said his daughter has been an inspiration to the family. “She’s not your average 10-year-old,” he noted, adding Zevin at OB Farmers Market is “doing all the engaging, the interaction, the math, the packaging: She does it all. She’s really good at interacting with people, making suggestions, and upselling. It’s pretty impressive.”
Brady Farmer was exposed to poverty early on growing up in Seattle. He said he started cooking at age 5 and began helping out in the restaurant business as early as age 12. Around that time, he and his sister also became involved in helping raise kids with mental and physical handicaps.
Farmer said his big career break came when he moved from Washington State to Los Angeles in 2005 and had the good fortune to indulge his passion for cooking by working for big-name celebrities including Beyonce, Robert Downey Jr., and Christina Aguilera. He said that is also when he got more into nonprofits and “learned about how I could help people.”
Through his Point Loma farmers markets, Farmer has been able to actualize his goal of creating a nonprofit to help needy others. He noted the Devoted To Youth Foundation, which recently fed vets on Veterans Day, also plans to feed needy military on Thanksgiving Eve on Nov. 23. He’s also planning on bringing a “Winter Wonderland” exhibit to his Point Loma farmers markets in late December.
