Mike Smith
Artesia Daily Press
msmith@currentargus.com

A stay-at-home mom, Danyon Solano wanted to do a little bit more with her life. So she took her talents as a baker and seamstress and sold her creations regularly at Artesia MainStreet’s Oil Patch Market, which opened this year at the Derrick Floor in downtown Artesia.

Solano, with her business Needle and Whisk, became a regular vendor at the community farmers and crafts market, which ended its inaugural run Dec. 14.

“I started my business in February of this year and it took off” Solano said. “Social media is a great way to get it started and get people talking. I just love it, it’s turned into something I didn’t think it would be,” she said.

Solano liked the response she got from customers buying items baked and made locally and not trucked in from an out-of-state vendor.

On Dec. 14, she offered homemade cakes and cookies along with sewn and embroidered items to people seeking a different kind of Christmas gift.

“There’s lots of foot traffic, having conversations with lots of different people, friendly faces. People are from everywhere and that’s fascinating to me,” Solano said.

She said markets held during summer months were nice with people looking for some kind of activity during the workday.

The summer markets were held on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. from June 4 to Aug. 6. The fall markets took place on Saturdays.

“I’m an eager business owner that loves serving my community and participating in these kinds of events,” Solano said.

Christopher Archuleta and his family also set up shop at the market, selling various flavors of beef jerky as part of Arch Family Meats.

Archuleta first came to the first market in June and all meat was hand-sliced and marinated for 72 hours and dehydrated before public consumption.

“I’m the slicer. I do all the cleaning of the meat and slicing, and my wife handles all the marinates. I started off doing the marinates, but she does it better,” Archuleta said.

His wife, Britany, was tired of him buying jerky at commercial retailers, he said with a chuckle.

“I was buying two bags of jerky every time I would go out to work,” he said.

He said Arch Family Meats is a true family business.

“We put family on our bag because they’re involved 100 percent. My children even help with the bagging of the jerky,” Archuleta said.

Archuleta’s children are 14-year-old Zayden, 9-year-old Zakstyn, 7-year-old Kinlea and 5-year-old Zane.

Britany said the children like to label the bags once the meat is packed in them.

“We make a fresh batch every week,” said Archuleta. “I try not to have carryover jerky and if I do, then I get to it.”

He said the family also delivers jerky along with selling it at the Oil Patch Market.

Morgan Fox, Artesia MainStreet’s executive director, said the market will return in either the late spring or early summer of 2025.

She said the original plan for the market was to have local farmers sell healthy fresh-grown fruits and vegetables.

“It morphed into an opportunity (for local vendors) to sell items without a storefront,” she said.

Fox said the main rule for the Oil Patch Market is items must be handcrafted or homemade.

She was happy and surprised by the market’s first-year success.

“Vendors wanted to participate, and the community came out to support them,” Fox said.

She said plans for next year’s market are still in the works.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-308-8734 or email at msmith@currentargus.com