The Sunday Marietta Square Farmers Market has different vendors, a different location, and—possibly because it’s later in the day and therefore warmer—a more laid-back groove. If you really dig farmers markets (and who doesn’t?), you could go to the square on Saturday morning to be a part of the buzz and the bustle, and then return Sunday for a more intimate shopping experience.
Organizers started planning the second market last April. “We had lots of quality applicants for our Saturday market that we did not have room for,” says market coordinator Johnny Fulmer. “We saw it as an opportunity to bring additional customers to the Marietta Square on Sundays.”
After getting approval from the city council and the downtown churches (hence the Sunday market’s shift from Church Street to Mill Street), Fulmer got the go-ahead to launch in mid-May.
With more than 30 vendors, the Sunday edition is about half the size of the Saturday monster market—but still comparable to most other metro-area farmers markets. Except for a few specialty vendors such as Hometown Honey and King of Pops, you won’t find the same folks selling stuff on Saturday and Sunday.
The Sunday market, which runs 12:30 to 3 p.m. through November, is producer-only, meaning that vendors can only sell products they’ve made or grown themselves. You’ll find jams and jellies, soaps and other handmades, fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables. Fulmer says there’s still room for a few more produce growers, too.
So far, the additional market day has been well received, Fulmer says. “We’ve had good traffic, good vendor participation. Although it has been a little warm.”
