BERLIN – A farmers market is expected to return to downtown Berlin next month.
Town officials said this week that the Berlin Farmers Market will soon be launched on Artisans Green. Though an exact opening date hasn’t been set yet, the market will take place on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“I’ve wanted a thriving Berlin farmers market since I got here,” said Ivy Wells, the town’s economic development director. “I’m really excited to finally start one.”
Wells has been working to organize a new farmers market since the Downtown Berlin Farmers Market, which was located near the Berlin Fire Company, closed in April. She held a community meeting last week to discuss options. Roughly 30 people attended.
“About half were community members and the other half were interested farmers and artisans,” Wells said. “It was mostly a roundtable discussion on what kind of market we wanted.”
Wells said they’d decided on a “producers only” market, which means that items being resold will not be permitted. Instead, the market will feature items made and grown by the vendors involved.
Wells said Artisans Green, located between House by Salvaged and Go Organic, was selected as the location for the market because of its accessibility.
“It doesn’t take away parking spaces and it’s in a beautiful spot with picnic tables, shade and nearby restrooms,” Wells said.
On Thursdays, the green is the site of the town’s 3rd Thursday Lunchtime Concert Series and as such is already outfitted with picnic tables and family games such as giant checkers and chess.
The site has space for 29 vendors and Wells is currently accepting applications for those spaces. She says that while she’s not sure how soon the market will be up-and-running, she does plan on kicking it off one Sunday in June. Sundays, she said, were chosen because that’s what community members wanted. A social media poll determined that most people wanted a Sunday morning market. Wells said she also conducted some outreach on her own to see what times and dates were desired by the community.
“It’s really about what the residents of Berlin want,” she said.
Wells said the market would likely run from June to September but could potentially be extended, based on the public’s interest.
