Lemon Drop Farmers Market opens in Houston with plans for food truck park

In the 1970s, a small building, now painted white with lemon slices, served as a supermarket along Airline Drive. The land it sits on had been neglected for the past two years until Davar Ghiyassi took a shovel to transform it into a new Houston farmers market and future food truck park.

The Lemon Drop Farmers Market has come to life for the past three Sundays. In the lot next to the lemon-adorned building, vendors set up shop, selling hot dogs, lemonade, plants and crocheted gifts. And behind the vendor tents, it’s like walking into a friend’s garden. Customers can enjoy their treats on two wooden terraces with tables and chairs shaded by large trees. Colorful lawn figures, plants, and cinder blocks give it a cute look.

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“I feel like there aren’t a lot of places like this in Houston, where you can sit outside and have a good time,” Davar said. “I wanted to provide a space where people could come and relax.”

Davar, with the help of his wife Jessie Ghiyassi, both 25 years old, has been working towards his dream for two years. They completely transformed what was once a pile of junk and did it all themselves. Davar even learned to use a bulldozer to level the land.

The property has been in the Ghiyassi family for around 25 years, after the supermarket closed. Davar’s late father used it to store electrical and plumbing equipment as a contractor when Davar was younger. For the past ten years, after his father died, Davar’s mother rented a room in the building. When the COVID pandemic hit, the family stopped monitoring the space and it turned out the tenant spent three years devastating the outdoor grounds.

The field was filled with piles of rain-damaged clothes and strewn with dog feces. So when Davar’s mother allowed him to use the land to build a business, he put on gloves and a mask and emptied about 10 truckloads of trash himself.

This was a pleasant surprise for neighbors who shared their joy about the new farmers’ market with Davar. He said he found they were truly invested in improving their area.

“I think this place might not be the nicest, but there are still a lot of very deserving people who need something to do with their families,” Jessie said. “I feel like it brings something to a different audience, people who also want something to do. It’s a little closer and a little more convenient for them.”

Davar told the Chronicle he always saw himself running his own business. He tinkered with a few ideas before landing in a food truck parking lot. He wanted the community to have a place to hang out and was inspired by Austin’s food truck scene.

It all started with the bridge area, where Davar found that the place remained relatively cool during Houston’s hot summers. A former mechanic and having learned various crafts from his father, he used these skills to build the bridge. The couple purchased some odd lawn items to further decorate.

They decided to open a farmers’ market to build a customer base before becoming a food truck park. Getting a food truck to commit to the space has proven difficult because it is not yet established.

Many of the farmers market vendors who signed on are also growing businesses taking a chance on themselves and the market. Davar charges its sellers fairly low rates. He wants to be able to offer different types of sellers.

He still plans to add more to complete the picture, from swings to a fish pond. And ultimately, he wants to transform the old food store into a new business. And they market Lemon Drop with flyers, in Facebook groups and on TikTok, where they took over Jessie’s personal account which had 2.4 million followers.

“We’re just normal people, we’re not starting with a lot of money…but I’d like to provide a great space where people can relax,” Davar said.

Lemon Drop is currently open from 9am to 1pm every Sunday.