Previously Featured Vendors
Meet The Blonde Italian!
Owner: Lauren Falcione
Location: Fairview Park
Website: theblondeitalian.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theblondeitalian
Length of time in business: 2 1/2 years
Products: my original recipe sauces & seasonings made with natural ingredients, designed to… ‘make it gourmet in minutes.’
What motivated you to start your business? “I loved mixing up things to create something tasty. I created two recipes when my two daughters were little, so I named them ‘Giavanna’s GARDEN GARLIC Seasoning’ and ‘Sister Mia’s SAVORY SALSA.’ I wanted to do this legally, so I taught myself food safety, worked in a licensed kitchen and earned my own commercial food manufacturing license from The Ohio Department Of Agriculture two years ago. It grew and grew, and I ended up making a full line of sauces that will help you make a great tasting meal quickly. I have 9 varieties for sale now, available in eight locations and online, with more to come within this next 1-2 years including 5 salad dressings, spicy pasta sauce, creamy pasta sauce, pesto, two beverage makers, a chipotle hot sauce and a dessert topping.”
What I love most about this line of work… “I love it because it’s a creative outlet for me. I designed my website & facebook, had help with the technical end, but everything you see was drawn out by me. I designed my labels and all print-work. I literally created a business from scratch -pun intended! I am a seamstress and a hold a current license in cosmetology as well. I also enjoy helping people with their cooking dilemmas. Some days, I feel I’m running a cooking class! It’s satisfying when someone walks away happy that they have learned cooking tips or how to properly make that meal they want to try.”
The best part of selling at Frostville is… “The nice people I meet, vendors and customers alike. All of us vendors work very hard and probably have close to the same mission. It creates a camaraderie that I enjoy. Customers are supportive & appreciative of small / local business. I love the park setting. Being surrounded by nature’s beauty is inspiring.”
Any particular reason for your business name? “The name was chosen because I started with a website, so wanted a catchy, easy to remember and spell, name that reflected me.” Editor’s note: She’s also a beautiful blonde and Italian! 
Meet Frank & Lily Handmade Soap!
Owner: Bob Reszler
City: Broadview Heights, Ohio
Website: www.frankandlily.com
Length of time in business: 3 years
Products Sold: Handmade soap in three forms: bar soap, foaming hand soap, liquid body wash
What motivated you to start? “As a teacher, I often receive Christmas gifts from my Middle School students. Occasionally those gifts have been handmade soap, which I found to be so much superior to commercial soaps. It made me curious. I experimented with my own formulas. Friends and family tried it and liked it.”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is…”Meeting really great people who appreciate well crafted products and passionate people who make and market them.”
What I love most about this job… “When people come back to tell me how great my products are, how much they enjoy them, and become a loyal, repeat customer.”
Any particular reason for your business’ name? “Named after my two puppy dogs, Frank a Border Collie and Lily an Ausie. My daughter suggested it might be catchy and easy for people to remember. She was right!”
Meet MiniManna Farms!
MiniManna always offers an assortment of Microgreens and gourmet salad mixes to enjoy.
Owners: Rachel and Chris Wiegand
City: Berea
Website/ Facebook: www.minimanna.com & www.facebook.com/MiniManna
Length of time in business: Since 2010
Products Sold: Gourmet salad mixes, Specialty Microgreens, Local Raw Honey, and a large variety of “in season” produce and fruit.
What motivated you to start? “It really started about 5 years ago when we bought our 160 year old farm house, and decided to start a garden. Struggling with traditional gardening/farming practices and tilling, we decided to explore other techniques. We looked into other organic options such as permaculture, no-till gardening and 19th century French market gardening techniques. We ended up producing more than our family could consume at harvest times, so we decided to share and sell what we couldn’t store or freeze. Then we decided to build new garden beds over nearly every square inch of grass on the property, and so began our “mini” farm.”
One of many gorgeous lettuce varieties.
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is…. “Getting to spend Saturday mornings in the Metroparks! We both grew up in North Olmsted, so the Frostville Market has given us the opportunity to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones.”
What we love most about this work… “The people! We enjoy talking to everyone about our produce and sharing recipes with them. We take pride in growing quality products, and it is extremely rewarding when customers return to say how much they loved what they got the week before.”
Tell us about your business’ name… “MiniManna is a play on words that essentially means ‘an unexpected gift of nourishment from our small scale farm.’”
MiniManna tablescape in early May.
Meet Swa-berry Patch!
Owner, Nancy Zurowski
City: Olmsted Falls
Length of time in business: Since 2010
Products Sold: Homemade Jams/Jellies, Pickles/Relishes, Bakery, Breads, Chocolates/Candies and Crafts
What motivated you to start? “I had been a Pastry Chef/Chef for almost 15 years until a horrible accident happened 5 years ago. Because of this accident I cannot stand for long periods of time. My dreams of going back to work as a chef was no longer. This took the wind out of my sails, so I decided to make jellies and jams, which led into pickling. I did the craft show scene until I met Angie Obbish at the Galleria. She invited me to Frostville Farmer’s Market last year, and the rest is history!”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is….”The buzz in the air on a beautiful Spring or Summer Day! It has such a WONDERFUL energy! Love it!!!”
Meet Elm Run Farms!
Owners: Ken and Sandy Ressler
Location: Orrville, Ohio
Website: www.elmrunfarms.com & www.facebook.com/elmrunfarms
Length of time in business: 3 years
Products Sold: Grass-fed Beef, Pastured Chicken, Grain-free Baked Goods
What motivated you to start? “A desire to own the family farm and produce healthy food in a sustainable fashion for local customers.”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is…. “meeting new people and offering a quality product.”
What I love most about this job… Hearing people say “Wow! that’s some of the best beef I’ve ever tasted!”
Why the name “Elm Run Farms?” “There is a small stream running through the property, and when Ken’s great, great grandfather purchased the farm in 1893, there was a big elm tree at the beginning of that stream, so he named the property Elm Run Farm. Since then, several other properties in the neighborhood have been added…making it Elm Run Farms.”
Meet Nodding Onion Gardens!
Owners: Marty and Beth Coyne
City: Columbia Station, Ohio
Website: www.noddingoniongardens.com
Owner, Beth Coyne, teaches market shoppers about growing native Swamp Milkweed.
Length of time in business: Four years
Products Sold: We offer perennial plants that are native to the state of Ohio, the majority of which are raised from seed. Our concentration is on rare milkweed species and plants that attract pollinators, like native bees.
What motivated you to start? “I have always been interested/concerned about the condition of our environment. When I decided to turn my backyard into a wildlife habitat I had trouble finding locally grown native plants. Consequently, I attempted to raise them myself. After experiencing a bit of success, retired naturalist Dave Dvorak along with my family encouraged me to start a small business. At the time Rae Endreola, the founder of Frostville Farmer’s Market and I were members of Dave’s Cleveland Metroparks’ Green Team. Rae needed vendors that first year, so I agreed to attend.”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market are…. “the friends that I have made. It is easy for me to forget that I am there to sell plants and not chat the morning away.”
What I love most about this job… “is learning to grow usual native plants. The second is, speaking with market visitors concerning the difference each of us can make to improve the health of our ecosystem; regardless of the size of our yard yards, porch or balcony.”
Meet “Our Little World Alpacas, LLC!”
Prepare early for your Cleveland winter!
City: Grafton, Ohio
Owners: Brian & Joy Turner
Website: www.ourlittleworldalpacas.com & www.TheGreatAlpacaPlace.com
Length of time in business: 7 years
A beautiful array of creations from Our Little World Alpacas.”
Products Sold: Products made from alpaca fiber; including hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, socks, & shoe inserts
What motivated you to start? “We visited some farms and fell in love with the alpacas. Having our own farm, we are able to produce a lot of fine alpaca fiber for use in our products.”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is…. “the people we meet.”
What we love most about this work… “We love caring for the animals and using the products that are created from their fiber.”
Meet MeadowSong Farm!
Owners, Bob and Sue Sklarz
Location: Medina, Ohio
Length of time at the Market: 4 years, since it opened!
Items Sold: Maple Syrup, Pickles, Fresh Eggs, Maple Fudge, Maple Butter Cookies, Amish Jam, Amish Soap, Maple Sugar Candy & gorgeous produce during summer months.
Delicious pickles are a MeadowSong Farm specialty!
How it all started: “Maple syrup was our first product at the market after one of the Park Naturalists learned that we produced it. That was the beginning of our foray into the world of Frostville!”
The best part of selling at Frostville is… “The satisfaction of selling wholesome foods and other products to some very nice people!”
Bob prepares to tap at the beginning of MeadowSong Farm’s maple season.
What we love most about this work… “From the beginning of our Market experience, we have come in contact with and met some of the nicest people. We’ve enjoyed their friendly “hello’s” and the caring attitudes many of them have. Their genuineness has made the Saturday morning and week-long preparing all worth it! I’m very proud to be part of this unique, up-and-coming little market!”
Meet Gaughan Bee Dancin’!
Owners: Evona and Kris Gaughan
Location: Medina, Ohio
Website: gaughanbeedancin.com
Length of time in business: Four Years
Products Sold: Honeybee Wildflower Pollen, Honey, Comb Honey, Herbal Infused Honey, Propolis, Royal Jelly, Beeswax Lip Balm, Beeswax Candles, Bee Smooth Hand Cream, Beeswax Goat Milk Soap, Colloidal Silver, Ionic Silver, Herbal Tinctures, Medicinal Herbal Tea and Beekeeping Supplies. We also rescue honeybees through swarm removal.
Evona and Kris invite friends over that are interested in becoming beekeepers for a hive inspection. Kris is displaying a frame and discussing the different cycles of the brood pattern.
How did you get your start? “When Kris and I met he was reading books on gardening. His co-worker suggested we start a beehive. We went to his co-workers house to look into his beehive. Kris and Walt had on bee suits looking into the hive and I was standing 100’ away and one of those Italian ladies came over and stung me. Four months after Kris and I met we moved in together, four months later we were married, and four months later we started our beekeeping business. Kris knew nothing about gardening; he could not even tell you the difference between a tomato and a pepper plant. One day Kris went to work and when he came home I showed him his victory garden, I had planted three garden beds that were 6’x60’. So Kris morphed into the beekeeper and I became the gardener and health guru.”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is…. “Many families come out to enjoy the beautiful park. The venders that participate in the farm market are like family. The Farm Market Manager is a rock star. Angie is quite fastidious about her responsibilities which make it an enjoyable market for the vendors and visitors.”
What we love most about this work… “We never knew we could help so many people by becoming beekeepers. I get goose bumps sometimes when customers return to me and inform me how great they feel taking the bee pollen. We have seen many people over the years get relief from their seasonal allergies and feel like they have their life back with renewed energy. In discussing the medicinal benefits of the bee products, it seems to lend itself to customers asking me questions about their medical conditions. From studying health, nutrition, vitamins and herbs for years, somehow I seem to have the answers. I have had customers report back how the information I gave them for supplements (not items that we sell) has helped them with hot flashes, hair loss, eczema and fighting cancer. Nothing like other people helping you realize what your calling is in life.”
Evona chats with shoppers at the Summer Market.
Photo from Cleveland.com
Meet Madelyn’s Naturals
Owner: Shannon Bonness
City: Olmsted Falls, Ohio
Website: www.madelynsnaturals.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/MadelynsNaturals
Length of time in business: 5 years
Products Sold: All Natural Soaps (Lavender, Raspberry, Juniper Berry, Oatmeal Honey, Plain, Lemongrass Sage) , Aloe Lotion, Shea Butter Face Cream, Laundry Soap, Lip Balm, Lip Gloss, Lavender Dead Sea Bath Salts, Hair Treatment Balm, Aluminum Free Deodorant, Clay Facial Mask, Sugar Scrub
What motivated you to start? “I created the line after my children. My daughter and son had a very bad cases of eczema on their scalps as a babies. I wanted to have something to help them that didn’t have any nasty chemicals or bad things in it. I knew that other moms wanted the same thing! I make all my products after what friends, family, or what I need to use. It also helps with other skin conditions like Psoriasis and sun skin disorders.”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is…. “The customers! They are the reason I’m here! It’s also a bonus being outside in the fresh air.”
What I love most about this job… “It’s not a Job, it’s something I love to do. I love creating daily items we use with love and only the best ingredients.”
Any particular reason for your business’ name? “It’s named after my daughter, Madelyn.”
Meet Spreadable Edibles!
Owners: Phil and Gail Bartosh
City: Old Brooklyn, Ohio
Length of time in business: 9 years…. but making jellies and jams for over 30 years
Products Sold: Jellies and Jams
What motivated you to start? “We started making Jellies and Jams because our family always made homemade gifts for Christmas. In the recession of 2008 we both either lost our jobs or had our hours cut so we started selling jellies and jams for extra money and we just grew.”
The best part of selling at the Frostville Market is…. “The friendly people and all the pets that are walking at the market.”
What I love most about this job… “It’s not a job if you love what you’re doing!”