Find the usual and the unusual at this year-round Springfield market

This market is open year-round and is full of treasures — from the traditional to the not-so-traditional. Here are a few reasons to visit:

Restaurant: Smith’s Market

Location: 1540 Moorfield Road in Northridge

Contact:Facebook

Telephone: (937) 342-1136

Background/Overview: Bob Smith was just 12 years old when he earned an income from a consignment job selling produce for a Springfield market owner.

H.R. Hackett wanted to help several local kids keep busy in their free time, so he provided them his market’s produce to peddle at street corners in their neighborhoods. His generosity would prove to form the careers of Smith family members for generations.

Bob opened his first Smith’s Market in Springfield in 1946. Four years later, its location moved closer to downtown. His son Rick learned every aspect of the market’s operations throughout his childhood, and the business was turned over to him in 1979. The Smith family moved the market to its present position in Northridge in 1996.

Rick’s wife Peggy is a Certified Public Accountant who handles the market’s books, and their children help in the store when they’re home from college.

Smith’s is considered to be a farmer’s market that’s open year-round. Their massive stock includes: Buffalo meat; 191 varieties of bulk, chocolate, hard, holiday and sugar-free candies; gourmet nuts; “Pets & People” dog treats.

Continue to full article.