“I actually started a ministry for young kids that were going down the wrong path, and we were trying to entice them into the gym with mixed martial arts and fitness and obstacle training. We would do a quick devotional after every workout,” Nichols said.

Besides the wares being peddled, Mike placed parking high on the list of things the farmers market got right. Because the market is located on the grounds of the Pierre-Bossier Mall, the walk from-and-to the vendors is fairly short and easy, even with an arm full of goods.

“We pretty much do it all,” Justin Sheppard, sales/custom projects at Sheppard’s Countertops, said. “We also have a line of sinks and faucets that we sell. For the countertops we offer: granite, Cambria, silestone, santamargherita, LG Hausys, Quartz Master, Zodiac, Corian solid surfaces, Hi-Macs, Laminates, and more.

The suburbs were where it was at, the shopping malls were the new trendy centers of commerce, and jobs were rapidly following the new subdivisions. Downtown was yesterday’s news.