New digs: Quincy Farmers Market moves downtown

QUINCY — Food, handmade crafts, fresh produce. These are some of the things that come to mind when the words “farmers market” are mentioned.

Farmers markets have had to adjust how they operate during the coronavirus pandemic, but many continue and offer fresh food and vegetables.

One way the Quincy Farmers Market adjusted in 2020 was to move from its traditional location. While the move to the Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum worked well, some other scheduled events at the location prompted the market to move again for the 2021 season.

“We decided to move again, unfortunately,” said Chelsea Putnam, manager of the Quincy Farmers Market. “The museum was so supportive of us. We made a great team. They had some wedding already booked that conflicted with the market.”

Forced with the decision to change the dates of the market or the location, market organizers decided to change the venue. With the blessing of the city of Quincy, the market will be held on B Street Southeast, between Central and First avenues.

This change in location will allow the businesses on the street to also participate in the market. The Quincy Farmers Market had previously looked at this location for the 2020 market season, but was not able to use it because of construction in the area.

The five businesses on this section of B Street, Idle Hour, Errant Cellars, This and That Catering, the Salad Bar and Whipped, a new coffee stand, will pick up some extra business due to the increased foot traffic on the street during the market.

One of the businesses, This and That Catering, has participated in the market in years past. The move will allow the owner, LeAnn Sarty, to sell a larger variety of food items directly from her kitchen.

Because of the uncertainty of what phase of the state’s reopening plan the county could be in at any moment, the market committee will run this year’s market similar to last year’s. The wearing of masks will be encouraged. Vendors will be spread at least six feet apart. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available for customers.

“It will look similar to how we left it last season,” Putnam said. “Being on the street gives us more ability to move people creatively.”

Even with the social distancing between vendors, the market will still host approximately 20 vendors.

“We have a lot of new vendors that we’ve not seen before,” Putnam said. “We also have a handful of veteran vendors. I think at any given time, the market will be well stocked with things to shop for.”

The Quincy Farmers Market is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every first and third Saturday from June through September.