TL;DR: Kindred Naturals sells at Long Island farmers markets every week, even though online sales are faster and easier to scale. We do it because handing a bottle to a parent and talking through exactly what's in it (and why) builds a kind of trust a product page can't. It also keeps us honest — you can't hide behind marketing copy when someone's asking you questions face to face.
If you've ever bought something from a small brand online, you know the feeling: you read the "About Us" page, you cross-reference a few ingredients, and you still have that small nagging question — is this actually true, or is it just good copywriting?
We feel that gap too, which is part of why you'll find us most weekends at a Long Island farmers market with a folding table, a few bottles of Baby Shampoo & Body Wash, and our Magnesium Lotion out for anyone to smell and try. Not a booth run by a rep who memorized talking points — Mike or me, answering questions about our own products, in person.
Why Sell in Person When Online Is So Much Easier?
Because it's harder to fudge the truth when someone's standing in front of you. Online, a brand can polish a paragraph about "clean ingredients" and let it sit there indefinitely. At a market table, a mom will pick up the shampoo, read the label, and ask a direct question: "What's soapwort, and why is it in here instead of the stuff other brands use?" We have to have a real, specific answer — not a vague one — every single time.
That kind of accountability shapes how we run the whole business, not just the market table. If we can't explain an ingredient plainly to someone's face, we don't put it in the formula.
What Do Parents Actually Ask at the Table?
Mostly the same questions you'd expect from a research-driven parent: what's the surfactant, is the fragrance synthetic, why does the lotion smell so mild, and whether it's actually gentle enough for a newborn versus a toddler. We also get a lot of "what made you start this," which usually leads to the honest, unglamorous version of our story — not the polished one.
What Have Farmers Markets Taught Us About Building Kindred Naturals?
They've taught us to simplify. Early on, we'd over-explain the science behind transdermal magnesium absorption, and people's eyes would glaze over. Standing there repeating it week after week forced us to find the plain-language version — the one that respects a busy parent's time and actually answers the question. That same clarity ended up shaping how we write our ingredient labels and our blog.
Markets have also taught us where our actual customers are on the trust spectrum. Some people pick up a bottle, smell it, ask one question, and buy on the spot. Others come back three weekends in a row before they're ready. Both are completely reasonable ways to make a decision about what goes on your baby's skin, and neither deserves pressure.
Does In-Person Selling Change How We Build the Products Themselves?
Yes — in a very direct way. When someone tells us a lotion feels too heavy in humid August weather, or that a scent (even an essential-oil-based one) is too strong for a newborn's room, that's real-time product feedback we'd never get from a review left three weeks after a package arrives. It's part of why the Magnesium Lotion is formulated to be lightweight and fast-absorbing rather than thick or greasy — parents told us, standing right there, what they actually wanted from a nightly lotion.
Why Does This Matter If You're Shopping for Kindred Naturals Online?
Because the same standard applies whether you meet us at a table or find us at shopkindrednaturals.com. Every ingredient we'd explain to your face at a market is the same one listed on the product page — nothing changes online. If anything, treat our website the way you'd treat that in-person conversation: read the ingredient list, ask us questions (we answer our own emails), and expect a real answer, not a marketing one.
That's really the whole point of the farmers market table. It's not a sales tactic — it's a standard we hold ourselves to, and then we carry it into everything else we do, including how we write about ingredients here on the blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kindred Naturals a real small business, or is it backed by a bigger company?
Kindred Naturals is independently founded and run by Mike and Carly Pronsky. We're not owned by a larger conglomerate, which is part of why you'll find us at markets answering questions ourselves rather than through a customer service team.
Where can I find Kindred Naturals at a farmers market?
We rotate through several Long Island markets depending on the season. The most current schedule is posted on our Instagram and on shopkindrednaturals.com — check there before you head out, since locations can shift week to week.
Can I ask Kindred Naturals questions about ingredients if I can't make it to a market?
Absolutely. You can reach us directly through the contact page at shopkindrednaturals.com, and every ingredient question gets a real, specific answer — the same one you'd get at our table.
Are the products sold at markets the same as what's sold online?
Yes. Every bottle sold at a market is identical to what ships from shopkindrednaturals.com — same formula, same batch, same ingredient list.
Why do small clean skincare brands emphasize community and in-person selling?
For many small brands, in-person selling is a way to build trust that's harder to establish at scale. It also creates a feedback loop — real conversations with real parents — that shapes product development in ways online reviews alone often can't.
If you're curious to see what we're all about, come find us at a market this weekend, or explore the Baby Shampoo & Body Wash and Magnesium Lotion any time at shopkindrednaturals.com.
Written by Mike & Carly Pronsky, founders of Kindred Naturals.