GILPIN COUNTY — Gilpin County may be small, but the turnout at the monthly farmers market at Very Nice Brewing Company proved that a good community event can draw a crowd, especially when there’s beer.

On Saturday, July 25, 2026, an estimated 60 cars filled the parking lot at Very Nice Brewing Company, 180 Jankowski Drive, as people gathered for an afternoon of shopping, live music, food, and craft beer. For a market tucked into the hills of Gilpin County, the variety was impressive.

The market, held from 4 to 7 p.m., featured more than a dozen local vendors selling fresh produce, flowers, herbs, pasture-raised meats, sourdough bread, honey, baked goods, candles, leatherwork, artwork, tarot readings, wellness products, and more. Live music by David Tillmon kept the atmosphere lively from 5 to 7 p.m.

One of the best parts of the market was meeting the people behind the products. Nearly every vendor had grown, baked, raised, or made what they were selling.

Local artist Amy Hager shared vegetables, herbs, flowers, and her unique encaustic work. Her art incorporates plants preserved in beeswax pressed onto reclaimed wood pieces, perfect for hanging on a wall. 

Amy Hager displays her encaustic artwork, created with pressed flowers and botanicals preserved in beeswax.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Hager laughed as she described the challenges of high-altitude gardening, explaining that a greenhouse doesn't automatically make someone a great gardener. 

Between unpredictable weather, watering schedules, and battling literal bugs, growing produce in the mountains takes patience, willpower, and know-how. Still, she filled her table with herbs, flowers, and kale.

Sarah Geerdes of Spruced Hen Candle Co. sold hand-poured soy candles, wax melts, and handmade fabric bags. 

Sarah Geerdes of Spruced Hen Candle Co. smells one of her hand-poured soy candles during the farmers market at the Gilpin Very Nice Brewing Company. Geerdes said her favorite scents include Sea, Salt & Sun, and Blue Spruce.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Amanda Carr of Sweet Cheeks filled her booth with cupcakes, cookies, caramel, coconut macaroons, and vanilla beans for home bakers. 

Amanda Carr of Sweet Cheeks offered homemade caramel, baked goods, and vanilla beans at the farmers market, the second of its kind this season.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Other vendors offered local meats, artisan cheeses, handcrafted leather goods, fresh produce, and specialty foods.

Notably, there were:

• Jolly Radish Veggies – Fresh-picked organic produce including heirloom tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, radicchio, Swiss chard, kale, mixed greens, cucumbers, red onions, corn, apricots, and organic peaches.

• Sev Dough – Fresh-baked artisan sourdough breads and pastries, including pistachio rolls and raspberry pastries.

• Locavore Meats – Colorado-raised grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chicken, and wild-caught Alaskan seafood, including sockeye salmon, ling cod, and black cod, along with premium cuts like double-aged ribeye steaks and tenderloin filets.

It wasn't the kind of market where people rushed in and out. Visitors spent the afternoon talking with friends, enjoying a drink, and discovering things they hadn't planned to buy.

The taproom was busy at the Gilpin Very Nice Brewing Company, as locals enjoyed local craft beer, live music, and the monthly farmers market on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

Photo by Mindy Leary

I couldn't resist taking home a jar of Amanda Carr's whole Madagascar vanilla beans. I've never cooked with one before, and I'm already looking forward to trying it in a recipe.

The next Very Nice Brewing farmers market is planned for Saturday, August 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 180 Jankowski Drive. Live music begins at 5 p.m.