New market offers whiff of history

One of Omaha's newest farmers markets is a blast from the past.

The Florence Mill farmers market at 9102 N. 30th St. offers the feel — and smell — of an old-time country market.

On Sunday the mill attracted vendors and visitors alike, who shopped for fruits, vegetables, jams, pies and crafts. Visitors flowed easily among the approximately 25 stalls in and around the mill. Many in the crowd clutched well-worn canvas bags stuffed with produce.

Curt Splichal and his wife, Beth, of Clarkson, Neb., said selling their homespun yarn and herbal soaps at the restored grist mill is like taking a step back in time.

The Splichals operate Myrrhwood Sheep Farm and were looking for an outlet for sales aside from the Internet.

“This is the perfect place for us,” Curt Splichal said as Beth spun yarn from wool a few feet away. “This mill is just so neat because it's so historic.”

Linda Meigs of Omaha acquired the Florence Mill, also known as the Weber Mill, in 1998. It was built in 1846 by Mormons spending the winter in the area and was commercially operated into the 1960s. Meigs has painstakingly renovated the old mill, and it now houses a museum and an art gallery.

The mill building is open daily except Monday afternoons.

The farmers market runs Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Meigs plans to keep it running into the fall.

“I thought a farmers market would be perfect because it brings back agriculture to the place, and that is the soul of this building,” she said. “Mills used to be a place where people gathered and conversed. That's exactly what we're doing here.”

On Sunday, several craft stands stood inside the mill's ground floor. The building is constructed of huge timbers and smells of oats, barley and wheat.

Meigs, who makes jewelry to sell and owns rental properties, said she bought the building after reading a news story about it being for sale. She said a convenience store company was rumored to be interested in buying the land and tearing down the building.

“I think it's sad that we tear down our history and then go to Europe looking for history,” Meigs said.

She said that Brigham Young, the Mormon leader who founded Salt Lake City and became the first governor of then Utah Territory, supervised the mill's construction.

“There's some history,” she said.

Jeff Epperson and his sister, Kristy Epperson-Kelly, farm about three acres north of Bennington, Neb., just to sell their wares at farmers markets. Leftovers from the Epperson Family Farm end up at the Omaha Food Bank.

“We sell every Saturday at Blair, but this is great because it's closer to our homes,” Jeff Epperson said. “Our first week there were just four or five (vendors) here, but now it's really taking off.”

Sofia and Frank Kock walked the grounds picking out produce. It was the north Omaha couple's first visit to the market.

“I love that the market is on Sunday because all the others are on Saturday,” Sofia Kock said. “This has everything you want in a market. I especially like the crafts and the pony rides.”

Pony rides, at $4 a trip, are provided by the Little Red Barn of Scribner, Neb.

Bryson Rowe, 2½, was initially not sure about taking his first ride, said his parents, Doug and Kendel Rowe of Omaha. A few minutes later, he was asking for another go-round.

“I grew up in Bedford, Iowa, and this mill — especially the smell – reminds me of the farms,” Doug Rowe said. “To see something like this in the city ... well, I'm just glad that it's here.”

Contact the writer:

444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com