Meet Amanda Kelly

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Kelly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In the Fall of 2007, two young mothers who grew up in Tomball, TX were discussing their frustrations of having to pack up their kids and drive into downtown Houston’s farmers markets weekly to purchase truly local produce, meats and prepared foods.

Having grown up in the Tomball area they knew Tomball had a large local farming community. So they held a community meeting at the Tomball library to see if anyone else wanted truly local fresh produce, meats, local prepared foods & local artisans in our area. The response was overwhelmingly positive and everyone was excited.

Then they met with Tomball City Council to ask if a local farmers market could be viable option to the City of Tomball’s project planning to revitalize Old Town Tomball. The City of Tomball loved the idea and after months of mindful meetings and obtaining City permits, they gave the moms their blessing to put together an independently governed local farmers market.

In May of 2008, Dr Hutson donated one of his properties to host the farmers market. The farmers market started with just 5 local small farmers selling tomatoes and seasonal sustainable produce once a month in downtown Tomball. By August of 2008 we had grown to 12 all local farm and cottage food vendors and met twice a month.

In 2013, we were able to host the farmers market every Saturday and grew to 25 vendors and had a waitlist of farmers and prepared foods who wanted to participate. We couldn’t expand further thus outgrowing our location. Fortunately, the City of Tomball had recently purchased the lot we are on now on Cherry St. and Main. The City of Tomball heard we were looking for a new location and asked to meet with us to work through logistics of operating the all local farmers market on their property.

This was a big step for us and required several logistical changes to accomplish our new the City of Tomball contract. We updated our bylaws to reflect Texas’s farmers market requirements including the 51% farm to non-farm vendors, insurance to cover the market and market safety barricades and market supplies and hiring TPD police officers. We also needed event permits, different health permits to allow prepared foods onsite, Fire Marshal inspections, local and state permits and certifications as a Texas farmers market.

We now accommodate up to 65 to 80 vendors every Saturday depending on the local farm season and weather conditions. We carry 4 all local farmers market certifications and are one of the largest all local farmers markets in Texas. Almost 17 years later we continue to provide a true local farmers market with 19 to 27 farmers year round. We are nestled in the Heart of Tomball and are within walking distance to the Tomball Depot Museum and park, many unique shops, antique stores and amazing locally owned restaurants full filling the dream of two young mothers.

What should our readers know about your business?
Hmmm, what sets us apart from other markets? Well we have 4 certifications as an all local farmers market with the USDA, Texas Department of Agriculture, Go Texan and Harris County Health Department. We are one of the largest truly all local year round certified farmers markets in the state. This means we have to maintain a 51% farm to non-farmer ratio year round to keep our certifications. For example if we have 20 farmers we can only have 19 non-farmers on our farmers market side to keep within our percentages.

Because of this we have limits in our other categories to make sure we have a good balance throughout the market and that each vendor is set up for success. In 2017 we had a waiting list of over 100 applicants which just wasn’t sustainable to help small businesses grow. So we pivoted and created Fill-in vendors who rotate weekly and have to commit to at least two markets per month year round. This doubled how many small businesses we could help grow and drastically reducing our waiting list. It’s had a big impact on our community as well as you can always find something new at TFM. This year alone we have accepted 37 new Fill-in vendors. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2025.

Another thing that sets us apart is our community involvement. We’re excited to host our second Harvest of Hearts Dinner Fundraiser on Friday, February 21, 2025 from 6 pm to 9 pm at the beautiful Majestic Oaks Wedding and Event Venue in Tomball. The proceeds go to encourage the next generation of farmers and ranchers through our Student Garden Scholarship as well as raising money for our other community garden projects for the future.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oooh there are so many places at Tomball Farmers Market to explore! And there is usually always an event to enjoy, live music and fantastic bites. We’d start obviously at the Tomball Farmers Market and visit Rain Song Farms and Verdegreens to start as they sell out early! Coffee from District Roasters and then we’d get in line for Three Sisters for their local meat and eggs then grab mushrooms from Mushroom Factory for a special dinner. And so my friend thinks I can cook we will grab exotic jam from Little Diamnds and one of Montgomery Gourmet Foods vinaigrettes. Finally, brownies from Brownie Experience and premade local cocktails from Franny’s Bartending. There are so many fantastic options available at Tomball Farmers Market.

We’d put our goodies in a cooler and go explore all the Old Town Tomball has to offer. There are so many local mom and pop restaurants, boutiques and antique shops within walking distance of TFM. There is even the Tomball Depot Park and Railroad Museum with a splash pad to explore. At Christmas time it looks like a Hallmark Movie and the Tomball Museum Center in North Pine has candlelight caroling in their beautiful grounds.

We’d hit have to hit Vicki B’s, then Granny’s Corner, The LampPost Boulevard, Tejas Chocolates and BBQ, Whistle Stop Restaurant, Covey Apparel, Kid’s Anthem and Otto’s Emporium before grabbing a keto friendly lunch at Re:Bar and more coffee of course. The next day we would start out at Honor Society Coffee and visit the Bath Hut, Burlap Ranch Boutique, Kirtley and Company and then Lunch at Callie’s Kitchen. You can really make an entire week of Old Town Tomball. We would end the weekend at 403 Eats Food truck park where they have live music. We would certainly get our steps in.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If it wasn’t for the help of Dr Hutson who allowed us to start off on one of his vacant lots in Old Town Tomball and the help from the City of Tomball we wouldn’t have been able to bring our community truly all local produce, meats and artisan goods.

We been fortunate to be able to offer vendors opportunities and resources to help them outgrow us. To date we’ve helped over 25 vendors like Della Casa Pasta, Jersey Bagels and Tejas Chocolates and BBQ outgrow us and be able to successfully move into their own store fronts. Local organizations like the Tomball Economic Development Corporation, The Hutson Group and the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce have been instrumental in helping many of those vendors reach their next steps. In my 30+ years in the food and service industry I’ve worked closely with numerous Chambers and EDCs and non have had the passion for small businesses that you will find here in Tomball, TX. We all truly have a heart for Tomball and there is so much to love about our community.

We are so thankful for Sarah Starnes’s vision to bring our community together and give local farmers and small businesses a place to grow. Because of her vision and those who came after her, we have been able to grow into one of the largest all local farmers markets in Texas featuring 65 to 80 truly local farmers, ranchers, prepared food and local handcrafted products year round.

Website: Www.tomballfarmersmarket.org

Instagram: Tfmmarketdays

Facebook: Tomball Farmers Market

Image Credits
Amanda Kelly, TFM Market Manager