Nebraska native Lisa Anderson spent much of her adult life living in Arizona before returning to her home state. Unfortunate circumstances brought her back, but fondness and familiarity of home, plus the chance to contribute to her community sparked her desire to stay.
While Lisa was helping care for her ill mother, her parents’ commercial garden sat untouched. After her mom died, Lisa wanted to start gardening with her dad as a way to share his passion for planting and keep her mother’s memory alive.
Lisa’s temporary visit turned into a permanent stay in her hometown of Lyons, and she began taking produce from the family garden to sell at seasonal farmers markets. Last year, she opened her own business in Lyons in an effort to provide local representation of growers and makers.
Inspired by her friend Danelle Myer, who owns and operates One Farm Market in Logan, Iowa, Lisa put a twist on the idea of an indoor farmers market and opened Logan Valley Market in October 2024.
The market hosts 12 to 15 vendors who sell their products in-store each Wednesday through Sunday.
With her business’s one-year anniversary coming up, Lisa is planning additional ways to highlight different vendors, including Valley to Valley Market Days, a monthly showcase market within Logan Valley Market. This showcase will take place on one Sunday or Saturday per month. Visitors can reach out to Lisa at [email protected] before planning their trip.
“I want to handpick vendors and new makers and really focus on bringing their products to light,” Lisa said. “This monthly market will be a chance to give exposure to makers in the area who may not have anywhere else to go to sell their goods.”
To successfully launch this new idea, Lisa has been working with the Center for Rural Affairs. Angelyn Wang, local foods associate with the Center, is helping her with vendor education and training.
“Working with Lisa this season has been incredibly inspiring,” said Angelyn. “So much is ready and waiting to happen in this part of the state, and Lisa is just beginning to tap into the local farmers, food producers, and craftspeople who are looking for access to markets and special events. I am so excited about the work she has put into this market, and I look forward to seeing it flourish in the coming seasons.”
Both the monthly and weekly markets will feature vendors who sell cottage food items like jellies and jams, as well as handcrafted stone and resin jewelry, crocheted items, soaps, lotions, candles, produce from area farms, and more.
Lisa also hopes to highlight legacy farms at her market. Coming from a long line of area gardeners and farmers, she values the history of the region and the people who helped make it what it is today.
“I love the small town feeling of going to a coffee shop and seeing local farmers, those legacies, visiting with each other, having known each other for so long,” Lisa said. “Those relationships started with their dad’s dads, and there’s something so enriching about being part of that and seeing all these meaningful generational relationships.”
Whatever shape the market takes, Lisa is committed to sharing and honoring the stories of local legacy farms.
“The bond that keeps rural Americans together is the history of being neighbors,” said Lisa. “Political divides, religious differences—none of that matters. In the city, you don't know your neighbors, but here you do. Families live in the same place for 80 years or more; that’s a commitment to our livelihood.”
Lisa hopes her dedication to the area’s history and featuring familial tie-ins at her store will get customers excited about shopping there and learning about the founders of the region.
“I just want to show how grateful I am for the community we have here and share their stories,” Lisa said. “Those small town connections are important. I hope to keep building on that within the community.”
Logan Valley Market, 1035 Main St., in Lyons, is open Wednesdays and Thursdays 3 to 6 p.m.; Fridays 2 to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays noon to 4 p.m.
Funding for this story was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
To learn more about our work with farmers markets, visit cfra.org/farmersmarkets.
