Opening Day at the Farmer’s Market Introduces New Vendors

Patrons in front of the Baked by Bolt cookie stand April 6 at the Fayetteville Farmer's Market.  Photo by Natalie Demaree for The Arkansas Traveler.

Originally published April 22, 2019 for The Arkansas Traveler.

Baked by Bolt is a new market vendor who makes decorative sugar cookies for sale at the The Fayetteville Farmer’s Market, which kicked off April 6 in the Fayetteville Downtown Square.

Sarah Bolt, a UA alumna, is one of the newest market vendors who was there opening day. Bolt is a local baker who runs a cookie business out of her kitchen called Baked by Bolt.

Baked by Bolt makes sugar cookies to sell at the Farmer’s Market in a lot of innovative designs, said Teresa Maurer, Fayetteville Farmer’s Market Vender coordinator.

Bolt is a seasonal baker and will be at the market during the cooler seasons, Maurer said.

She will only be at the market during cooler seasons because the icing Bolt uses is delicate in high temperatures, Bolt said.

Baked by Bolt sells custom-order sugar cookies with designs that are tailored to special occasions and holidays, according to the Baked by Bolt Facebook page. The decorative cookies have a plain-sugar-cookie base with royal icing. The designs are hand-painted, Bolt said.

“I bake out of my home and the whole process takes about three to four days.” Bolt said.

Bolt’s interest in cookie baking started as a hobby, she said.

“I started with family and friends, and from there I just made an Instagram, and people started ordering, and it kind of escalated out of nowhere,” Bolt said.

Bolt comes up with most of the ideas for her cookie designs on her own and finds her inspiration for the designs by looking at different things around her or by looking on Pinterest, she said.

The Student Alumni Association on campus ordered cookies from Bolt for a ceremony, said Mercedes Gazaway, assistant director of Student Programs for the Arkansas Alumni Association, in an email.

“We loved working with Sarah,” Gazaway said. “The cookies were beautiful and delicious. I ordered the cookies for the Seniors of Significance ceremony.”

Bolt became a vendor at the Farmer’s Market as a way to get her name out, and she was excited because her first day at the market went so well, Bolt said.

Bolt is looking forward to selling more cookies at the market Easter weekend, she said.

“I am hoping to see a lot of new faces since it is Easter Weekend. I will have a lot of Easter cookies prepared.” Bolt said.

The first weekend of the market, she had spring-themed sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for sale. Her small sugar cookie cost $3, and her large sugar cookie cost $4. Her chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies cost $1 each. Bolt also had free samples of her chocolate chip cookies and her white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

Bolt has a wide array of creatively designed cookies. Some of these designs include cacti in wedding tuxedos, Fortnite, unicorns, woodland sets and llamas, according to her Instagram page.

For more information about Baked by Bolt, patrons can visit the Baked by Bolt Facebook page or Instagram.

The only other new member to the Farmer’s Market is Kingston Lavender Gardens, a small business located in Kingston, which will be bringing locally grown dried lavender arrangements, sachets and more later in the summer, Maurer said.

There are still more potential members to come after passing the review process, Maurer said.

The Farmer’s Market is open from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from April until the end of October and from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturdays on April until Nov. 17, according to the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market.