Adil Zihri gets up every day at 4:30 a.m. to begin preparing food to be sold at his stand at local farmers markets around eastern Massachusetts. Of each market, he says, the Swampscott Farmers Market is his favorite. This is Zihri’s third season at Swampscott’s market since starting his commercial Moroccan kitchen, Olive World, in 2022.
“I love this market, the community here is so vibrant,” Zihri said.
Market-goers know Zihri as “the olive man,” as his business started out simply with the fruits. Overtime, he has expanded his menu to include Moroccan sweets, salads, couscous, soups and much more that attract many customers at every market he attends.
The annual Swampscott Farmers Market reopened for the season on Sunday, June 8. Over 50 vendors gathered on the Swampscott Town Hall lawn from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to show off and sell their goods to community members.
Despite the clouds, the market was filled with people who were excited to walk around and visit both new and old vendors. The market created a space for families to relax and kids to play on Sunday morning, as live music played in the background.
Robin Paolucci started her business, which sells handmade children’s clothing and accessories, after her first granddaughter was born six years ago. Robin’s Gifted Thimble features one-of-a-kind dresses, sweaters, t-shirts and more that Paolucci makes all herself out of her home. Paolucci started selling at markets about four years ago, developing a large client base at farm events, such as a unicorn festival held at The Farm at SummitWynds, which Paolucci will be attending in late July.
In addition to festivals, Paolucci remains popular with the Swampscott Farmers Market.
“Swampscott is very giving and appreciative, they come in and every time I’ve been here it’s been crowded,” said Paolucci. “Anywhere there’s kids, I like to go.”
The Swampscott Farmers Market also serves as a space for organizations such as the Marblehead Animal Shelter, the Swampscott Conservancy and the New American Association of Massachusetts(NAAM) Artisans.
According to their website, the NAAM Artisans assist newly arrived refugees and immigrants, offering artisan skills training, micro-business and entrepreneurship practices, financial literacy, and wellness workshops. On Sunday, the NAAM table was run by Ukrainian artisans selling Motanka Dolls, dolls created as an amulet or charm. The doll, handmade of fabric for the body and yarn for the hair and dresses, is an ancient Ukrainian talisman that serves as a symbol of hope, prosperity and goodness. The doll remains faceless to keep it a protective amulet, rather than a spiritual vessel, according to the artisans.
Many of the Ukrainian vendors had fled the war in Ukraine in 2022 or 2023 and settled in Swampscott and Lynn. One woman explained how making things with her hands helps to calm her mind and relieve her of stress.
This year, the Swampscott Farmers Market also welcomed back Jessie Lavoie, a Swampscott native who had sold at the market previously under an old business and partnership. She is now back with her own business, Evolving Light.
“Just being back here feels like home, and it’s just like a way to experience the community without having to live here, since I don’t,” she said, “and to be autonomous without a partner actually feels really good.”
The business is a combination of Lavoie’s background in environmental geology and Reiki. Having learned about “forever chemicals” in a lot of common products several years ago, Lavoie wanted to make a line of products and remedies that she needed, infused all with gemstone essences.
Lavoie makes everything out of her home, including sanitizers, glass and window cleaner, linen spray, bug spray, hair and face oils, and laundry powder. She said that 60% of her sales come through markets, and 7% of profits go to charities.
“It doesn’t feel like work for me,” Lavoie said. “Being at markets, just being in nature, seeing people, making the connections, it feels really energizing.”
