Farmers Market in Gwinnett To Stay Open All Year

By Sarah Bakhtiari, Patch

The Grayson City Council unanimously approved Monday (Oct. 21) to keep the Grayson Farmers Market open year-round. 

The motion comes after several vendors of the Wednesday market made the proposal to the city. The market, which is in its first season, was originally planned for four months from June to September, and then it had been extended to last through the end of October. 

A few of the regular vendors attended the city council's monthly meeting to voice their commitment to the Grayson market. They reasoned that many city markets, including all the ones in Gwinnett County, are only open during the warm months, so Grayson would become an even bigger destination for locally grown and organic broccoli, cabbage, sweet potatoes and more in the off season. 

"We eat 12 months out of the year, not four months," said Lynda Brady of B&G Farms, whose top-selling products are beef, pork and chicken. "[My customers] are real enthused about this going on year-long."

"We also sell at other markets," said Megan Burry of My Quality Mushroom Farm. "A lot of these customers are chasing the markets right now because they're all closing, and this is the time really for Grayson to set themselves apart from everyone else." 

During the city council's work session, there was some discussion about why the farmers market shouldn't be extended, such as the possibility of it attracting "fleas" or vendors who don't sell food. But many of the 14 vendors who made the request to be open year-round are produce farmers and are considered to be the core group, the ones who are consistently at the market every week whether it's rain or shine. 

"They have a following in Grayson that they haven't seen in other cities. It's why they've not petitioned Snellville or Dacula or Buford or Monroe," said Gail Lane, manager of the downtown development authority, during the work session. 

"They're committed to this," she added, also saying that many produce vendors have set up greenhouses and are using "tunnels" to prevent frost from killing their crops. "Grayson has been a really sort of special thing for them. I don't understand the magic, but they say it's pretty sweet when they come here."

To brave the colder temperatures, the vendors plan to bring oil heaters and set up their tables under the pavilion, and there will be coffee and other warm drinks for customers. There's even talk of a marshmallow toasting, too. 

The market takes place every Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Grayson City Park, located at 475 Grayson Pkwy. The vendors currently set up in the open field around the sidewalks, but will soon set up under the park's pavilion.