🚨 Attention Denton! 🚨 Please Sign and then join us at Dan's Silverleaf on Tuesday 6/23 @ 6pm for a town hall meeting.

**Restore Integrity and Community at Denton Community Market**

The Denton Community Market (DCM) has served as an important hub for local farmers, artists, musicians, and community members. The founding goals of the DCM are to support local small businesses through economic opportunities, educate the public about local agriculture and art, and provide a gathering space for community members to foster a sense of place. Since 2024, the current Board and leadership of the DCM have fostered an organizational culture of conflict, lack of transparency, and negative marketing practices resulting in funding losses and a loss of community trust. 

In recent months, dozens of long-time vendors have been unjustly expelled from the market without proper cause. This has not only deprived them of their livelihoods but has also fragmented our once vibrant community market.  

Concerns about financial mismanagement are growing, raising questions about the transparency and integrity of the market’s financial practices. The DCM is a 501c3 non-profit organization that requires transparent reporting in order to maintain its tax exemption status and ability to fundraise, seek grants, and accept vendor membership dues. The lack of accountability and financial transparency undermines the trust that the vendors and patrons place in the Denton Community Market. In 2026, the City did not grant annual funding to DCM that typically assists with the marketing and management of the Market. Numerous former and current Market participants are calling for:

 • Clear and consistent vendor policies: Vendors abide by Member rules, but leadership cherry-pick how policies apply.
 • Fair conflict resolution processes: Requests for explanations are met with immediate removal, and negative feedback is blocked without consideration. 
 • Greater transparency in board decisions: Non-profit Boards have obligations to provide information to their organization members (the vendors) and the public.
 • Open communication regarding financial stewardship: required to maintain nonprofit status. 
 • Leadership accountability that reflects Denton’s values of inclusion, respect, and community collaboration: current leadership have conflicts of interest that are not addressed. 

For 16 years, DCM was one of the most vibrant and economically thriving farmers markets in Texas and there are few events more central to Denton's cultural heartbeat. We look forward to restoring DCM to what it was from 2010-2023: inclusive, community-driven, artist-led, and supportive of local farmers and musicians. 

Join us in demanding change. Sign this petition to help get the Denton Community Market back on track. Your signature is a crucial step towards restoring DCM to once again be a beloved community gathering place and marketplace.

Please join us at Dan's Silverleaf on Tuesday 6/23 @ 6pm for a town hall meeting. Let’s rebuild our market together!