MARTINSBURG — The Martinsburg Farmers Market made a triumphant return to the city’s historic Roundhouse on Saturday, bringing together more than 60 vendors from throughout the Eastern Panhandle and beyond.
This year the market will run every Saturday for another 27 weeks. Each week will feature a few different vendors offering everything from farm fresh produce to handmade jewelry.
Since the Farmers Market first came to the Roundhouse in June of 2023, it has grown steadily, culminating in December with the Merry Maker’s Market, which brought more than 100 different vendors to the historic building over the course of two weekends.
Seeing the market grow from 5 to 6 vendors when it started last spring to where it is now has been a dream come true, said Catherine Rowley, market manager.
“Seeing the people, the energy, the positive energy — it starts to happen when you get all those people together and help each other and have success,” Rowley said. “It creates this feeling that you can’t explain. It’s just a magical feeling.”
This year, she said, the market will feature about 30 vendors on any given Saturday, some old favorites and some new to the scene.
“A lot of people got their business license just to join,” she said.
Many vendors, from new and old businesses, expressed their enthusiasm for the market and its growth. Julie Bolyard, who runs Fruit Meadow Farms, said holding the event in a historic building is exciting for her.
“I really love seeing the Roundhouse used for community events, and I really love seeing the citizens of Martinsburg embrace the farmers market,” Bolyard said.
Fruit Meadow Farms has been part of the Martinsburg Farmers Market for years, when it was held in Martinsburg’s Town Square on Friday evenings, she said.
Saturday was her first time back, and she said she’ll be back all year.
One new company, called Go Nuts, makes fresh donuts using local ingredients. The owners said they are trying to introduce themselves to the community through the market and will be at the market for at least 14 Saturdays.
Benjamin Thompson of Willow Born Farms said he hopes the market can attract more local farmers to join the list, since helping grow small businesses is a main goal of the market.
“You can’t grow as a farm unless you grow with the community,” Thompson said. “It is not independence; it is independence.” It is interdependence.
More information about the Farmers Market, such as special themed weeks or upcoming vendors, is available at Facebook.com/MartinsburgFarmersMarket.
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