One of my favorite things to do on Saturday mornings is to wander the Summerville Farmers Market. It’s your typical Southern small town farmer’s market, with banjo pickers, popsicles, and miles of fresh veggies grown just up the street. Even its location {tucked behind Town Hall on Main Street} stereotypes the small town atmosphere! 
The Summerville Farmers Market forms a loop around First Citizen’s Bank, with street and garage parking within feet of the market. It also backs up to Short Central, which is a little cobblestoned street lined with boutique stores and cafes….a perfect stop for lunch after perusing the handmade goodies at the market. The Summerville Farmers Market is open 8am-1pm on Saturdays, April through December, with live music starting at 10am each week.
Staying true to the picturesque stereotype…you’ll see toddlers and elderly couples dancing to bluegrass, kids with King of Pop popsicle juice running down their chins, and dogs trotting beside Radio Flyer wagons full of flowers. It seems like everyone knows everyone, and people are just as content to mingle and “window shop” as to truly do their weekly produce shopping.
Although it is totally worth a trip out to Summerville to experience it for yourself, I thought I’d give you a quick tour of some of my favorite vendors in the loop. Just past the live music and face painting, you come to the gourmet food booths. Honey, bread, spices and pizza sauce, just to name a few. Click on the pictures to visit each vendor’s website.
Not pictured above, the line of about a dozen people patiently waiting for fresh pasta and ravioli from Rio Bertolini’s…. who regularly sells out!
I love all of the unique gift ideas that you can find all in one place at the Summerville Farmers Market. As a handmade small business owner, I can really identify and appreciate the commitment and passion they have for their creations. You can regularly see the craftsmen working on products or personalizing merchandise right there on the spot. You’ll find wood products, all natural soaps and creams {that are awesome for eczema!}, handmade children’s clothing and accessories, candles, and even dog treats!
Tucked in a little cul-de-sac of vendors is some fresh coffee from Summerville’s own Coastal Coffee Roasters, some jarred goods, and my girls’ personal favorite, KB’s Unique Creations.
She handmakes all of her cork ornaments and bottle cap necklaces. But our favorites to look at are her clothespin magnets. A perfect gift for a teacher, each set is themed and has a magnet on the back to make it that much more versatile for refrigerators and chalkboards.
About this time on the loop, my littles usually start to itch for a snack, so we head for my preference {Kettle Corn Popcorn}…but really it’s a tough choice with all of the fresh and yummy goodies to choose from!
Round the corner, just past the Lil Red Barn food truck, you’ll pass a couple antique cars and then you come upon the gardeners. Flowers down the entire length of the street, ready for planting and already arranged and ready for your kitchen table.
As you peruse the pallets of greenery and pops of color, listen for the “whirrrrr, pop!” of the 1917 Meadows Grist Mill that The Flying Farmer uses to grind yellow corn into grits and meal right on site.
And suddenly, we’re in the homestretch of produce. Our garden produces so much, that I usually don’t buy much…but it’s admittedly my favorite part of the Summerville Farmers Market. Row after row of colors, blending one booth into another. It’s hard to tell who you are buying from, not that it really matters…everything is beautiful and fresh and local. My kids beg to taste the sweet raspberries and blackberries. They are equally mesmerized by the different shapes and colors of some produce that they haven’t tried yet. Promises of trying new foods come flying out of their mouths as they persuade me to buy a few bags worth….we’ll see. But hopefully, picking out their own food will encourage them to take one more bite of those collards….
Wandering the Summerville Farmers Market has become one of our family weekend traditions. In the midst of house projects, birthday parties and softball games that divide up our weekends… spending Saturday mornings as a family while supporting local businesses is how we stay grounded!
