A fresh Sunday morning means vendors are setting up their booths at local El Paso markets, waiting for the crowds to come in and find some unique and quirky products for purchase. Just like every vendor, each art and farmers market in El Paso has its own personality which gives vendors and buyers a variety of markets to choose from.
The city offers the same handful of markets most weekends. These include, but are not limited to, The Upper Valley Artist and Farmers Market, the Kaleidoscope Art Markets (KAM) and the Sun City Dreamers Market. Along with local businesses that hold their own occasional markets like Chuco Relic.
Markets like the KAM typically advertise themselves as more on the “nerdy” side through Disney and anime themed markets while others like The Upper Valley Artists and Farmers Market focus on both artisanal and crafty products with a wide selection of food and drinks.
Vendors like Julian Segura, one of the owners of Sun and Tree Coffee, just began vending through their coffee truck in early 2025 at The Upper Valley Artists and Farmers Market. They’ve had the opportunity to vend through their smaller scale coffee cart in different locations, and hope that the variety of El Paso markets will help them expand.
“Upper Valley is a very solid market for us [so far],” Segura said. “We’re looking to expand to get into different pockets of the community. We’ve done a few specialty markets, but Upper Valley has been the main one.”
Sun and Tree Coffee, aims to build up a solid following that will allow them to successfully vend at any farmers market in any area of the community.
“We’ve been growing. We learned that the spots [at markets] that you get do matter, but also building up your following is ultimately the most important thing. People will come find you,” Segura said.
Marketgoers also gravitate towards what they enjoy the most: themed markets, certain vendors who are loyal to specific markets, or food. However, for some it doesn’t hurt to try and experience different corners of the community in El Paso.
Caitlin Salas, 33, is a consistent marketgoer and spends her weekends taking advantage of the warm weather and variety of friendly vendors. Some weekends she even hits multiple markets in one morning. She stops at one market for her sourdough, another for her flowers and a last one for coffee.
“It’s just to support the community. I think they all have their own little things. I really do like the Sun City Dreamers Market. It’s a little on the smaller side, but they have a lot of cute art,” Salas said. “I just like to see them all. I usually go to them all.”
Regardless, these markets give buyers and vendors a chance to support each other and the community, with each one offering a fresh selection of vendors, themes and experiences to explore.
Jesie Garcia is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram at @empanaditawrites.
