OPALINE Farmers Market Provides CREATIVES Community & an Outlet

On Sunday, October 16, in Ward 7 of Washington, D.C., Opaline held its 3rd annual farmers market at River Terrace Park. D.C.’s fall season can be riddled with cold weather and intense winds, but this day was the sunniest, warmest day the city had seen since summer. The beautiful weather, in addition to the serenity of the farmers market–formed in a circle centered with incense–provided a grounding community experience amidst an enjoyable nature scene. 

This event also had fundraising initiatives: donate classroom supplies to teachers at Ward 7’s River Terrace Education Campus and provide fresh produce, courtesy of Common Good City Farm. Opaline’s Founder and Creative Director, Briona, explained, “After the pandemic, especially, there have been financial struggles for teachers to the point where they have to come out of pocket to pay for supplies and sometimes even struggle to have supplies for the second quarter of school. Opaline’s goal is to provide support and a very tangible show of concern. The donations are going to purchase classroom supplies and educational materials for teachers.”

Vendors from the D.C. area gathered to sell all sorts of goods and experiences. Jewelry, crystals, and vegan-friendly food–among other goods–were available as well as experiences such as hula hooping, meditation, and massages. The farmers market not only provides a physical space for D.C. creatives, but also creates a sense of community where people can come together and share their light. As not only an attendee but a reporter, I could feel the interdependence between Opaline and the community; it was very clear to me early on that this is a safe space. When I spoke with Briona about Opaline’s relationship to healing and the community, she shared: “I feel like when people relate to each other from a sovereign and autonomous space, that means that we can be interdependent and we can rely on one another in a healthy way rather than relying on and looking to people from an attachment- or trauma-based lens. Creating memories…creat[es] new neural pathways [and] positive associations. Those are core memories that can, in the future, help people to center themselves and just remember the worth of life.” D.C. is full of creatives, but spaces have to be made for these artists to come together in a vast city. Visual artist and jewelry designer Rhythm said, “Events like this aid the community by adding support we don't always receive…We're a very artist-rich city in Washington, D.C., but D.C. is so political that they don't allow space for us a lot of times. So we have to come together to create our own spaces.”

When discussing community support with Thraxx, owner of Blendz Tribe, he described vending being at Opaline’s farmers market as “support[ing] my community in a big way, because we all fellowship with each other. We're inspiring each other via our other entities. I feel like it's all an inspiration as well as a support-based system. I'm always inspired when I see somebody else working in whatever their gift is.”

Events that bring people, talent, and creativity together for the greater good not only help the community, but the creatives involved, too. When you tap into your own talents, you allow that love to exuberate throughout your work. Founder Briona feels like Opaline allows healing through “creating a space for people to share their gifts and talents…it creates like, a clearer internal space to where you're not dealing with people through a traumatic emotional lens.” Sydney of Don’t Trip, is a multimedia artist who creates original paintings, mirror customizations, jewelry, and stash jars. She discussed how her work and events like the annual farmers market heals her inner child. As a child, she always loved making different things and, as a result of the pandemic, she finally had the time to recenter and become creative once again. “I just got back into it like when I was a kid because I had more time. I just started making more and more knickknacks and then it became my career,” she said. “Childhood Sydney is ecstatic right now.”

The market attendees were diverse–hailing from various regions in Maryland and D.C. (including Ward 7)–but shared their enjoyment of Opaline’s offerings in common. According to D.C.’s Office of Planning, “The neighborhoods of Ward 7 are proud, distinct, and numerous.”  I saw this firsthand while speaking with Ms. Karen, a River Terrace resident, who happened to pass by while “getting my steps in” and became intrigued by the market, she said. “Living in Ward 7, we don't get a lot of this, so I was very happy to see this.” Ms. Karen shared a powerful sentiment–an elder of the community finally had the opportunity to enjoy her neighborhood in a peaceful and openly loving space. Some people live their entire lives not being able to truly live in and enjoy home. Regarding Ward 7’s atmosphere, Briona observes, “Every fiscal year, it becomes more and more glaringly obvious how we're being priced out of our home and how gentrification is making life really difficult. So it's really important to me to create interdependent economies among one another, which I feel like the marketplace does.”