Travel to downtown Easton on any Saturday morning, from the spring to autumn months, and you will find the city's Centre Square bustling with vendors, produce displayed all around the circle, freshly baked bread and other goodies. The smell of pizza lingers in the air, the sound of sausage, bacon and eggs sizzles on grills nearby. Ah—foodie heaven! You will hear laughter as friends hurry to catch up with each other while sitting on the edge of the fountain or at a table, resting pups at their feet.
The Easton Farmers' Market, the oldest open-air market in the country, is reminiscent of its storied past, from its inception in 1752 to present day. Though the market nearly faded after the 2002 season, it has continued to operate with at least one vendor available for customers looking to buy fresh produce and flowers.
Since taking over as the market's manager in 2008, Megan McBride has played a key role in turning the market around and getting the public back to Easton's downtown while expanding the idea of what the market can do for the city.
Educating the consumer
For McBride, interest in her community sparked when she owned a card and gift shop on Easton's College Hill. Wanting to learn more, the Easton native joined the College Hill Neighborhood Association and spearheaded a merchants' association in the area. In 2006, she started working as an assistant with the Easton Main Street Initiative. It was there that McBride became interested in the farmers' market.
While she was always a supporter of shopping locally, she had not been equally committed to eating locally. But the more she learned about how food is grown and produced, the more committed she became to eating locally sourced food. She now knows the farmers she buys her foods from by name.
“I know for myself that the potatoes are from Tom and the pork is from Mark,” she says. “We know the name of our doctor or dentist, but many people don't know the name of the farmer who grows their food.”
Only three to four percent of people do the majority of their shopping at a farmers' market, McBride says. It's a trend that can only grow from where it is now. The surface is just being scratched, in her opinion.
“There is so much opportunity to be had in terms of getting new customers,” she says. “Every year more and more people are seeing the light.”
Before McBride took over her position with the farmers' market, Lynn Prior spearheaded the initial work, building support for the market and securing grants to rebuild the program. When Prior left her post in 2006, a vendor pitched in to run the market the following year. In 2008, McBride became the manager of the market while working simultaneously for Main Street Initiative.
“I don't know how I did it,” McBride says, as she was essentially working two jobs at one time.
Growing pains
Bringing the Easton Farmers' Market to where it is today wasn't the easiest task. Easton was not always a popular place to hang out, despite some of the changes in the city in recent years.
“Even though this growth had taken place, we were still in a tough situation with people just not wanting to come downtown,” McBride says.
McBride knew that the market could be a powerful visual in the heart of the downtown. After seeing what markets had done to help revitalize other downtowns, she wanted to make it happen in Easton.
The hardest moments were trying to change the mindsets of people who had the preconceived idea about Easton as a city, McBride says. Battling the negativity was exhausting, she notes, but McBride kept forging ahead. She knew eventually the efforts would speak for themselves.
Once people began to trickle in, McBride knew more would be required to keep them coming back, so a series of festivals and events was created: The Zucchini 500, Tomato Fest, Apple
Fest and Scarecrow Fest, were just a few of the first gathering opportunities. She also knew they needed to offer a variety of products.
“We knew if we didn't have the products, we couldn't get them to come back,” she says.
To ensure there would be products to sell, McBride enlisted the help of her mom and some volunteers to pick blueberries, strawberries and peaches. Next on her list was to find a local bakery willing to offer goods for sale. She approached several bakeries in the area but was turned down.
Eventually, The Flour Shop of Bethlehem agreed to be part of the market. In the beginning, McBride says, the shop would drop the bread and pastries off in the morning, and the market would sell the products. At the end of the day, McBride would haul anything that didn't sell, back to the shop.
“It really sucked,” she laughed. “But it worked.”
The next year she asked The Flour Shop to come back as a vendor again and they agreed. Little by little, the market was coming together, but it wasn't magic, McBride says.
It took more than a year, but the public started returning to the market, finding out just how unique of a place it is, McBride says. Looking back on how far the market has come, McBride says the evolution is rewarding. “It's a really pivotal thing when [people] think of the downtown...it's come a long way,” McBride says.
The truth about fruit
McBride says one day she hopes the cost of eating organic can be more affordable for all income levels. Organics generally skew higher in price, which could keep some families from taking part in what the market has to offer. The Easton Farmers' Market, fortunately, was one of the first markets in Pennsylvania to accept food stamps for purchasing goods. She says it is important to the market to be able to provide fresh, local produce and other goods to every family that wants it.
McBride says that some people have the perception that vendors make a lot of money at the market by charging a premium for their goods. She stresses that the perception is completely untrue.
“None of our vendors are making a killer (profit). It's so hard to be a farmer. It's the hardest thing you could possibly do,” she says, adding the unpredictability of the weather and insects affect crops and the farming season. “And it's doubly hard when you're trying to do it organically.”
Hump Day & other happenings
The market has grown since 2008 with the launch of its Winter Mart in 2011. After changing location, the winter market eventually settled in the former Weller Center building on Northampton Street in Easton. The market has also spun off a weekly Weyerbacher Wednesday event, held May through September in Centre Square.
Today, the market can boast that it has anywhere between 30 and 38 vendors present on any given Wednesday or Saturday. McBride says the vendor interest has increased so much that organizers have had to turn away some requests from potential vendors.
Weyerbacher Wednesdays, which offer a mix of fresh produce as well as ready-to-eat items, are seen as a place to grab dinner after work in the middle of the week for many locals.
Though McBride says there will be some changes to the vendor list for the upcoming season, she is looking to add on brewery tours called “Moo and Brew.” Easton's city-owned trolley will take people from the market to Weyerbacher Brewing Company, on the city's south side, and Two Rivers Brewing Company.
More changes are also underway as the much-anticipated opening of the Easton Public Market comes in August. The public market will occupy the space inhabited by the Winter Mart.
The public market will bring a new food shopping experience to Easton, McBride says, featuring various fresh food stands—from seafood to deli meats, cheese and baked goods, as well as prepared food, wine and beer. McBride says the arrangement will be similar to that of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia but with a “new and shiny” feel to it. The indoor space will also have demonstration kitchens for cooking classes and spaces to rent out for parties and special events.
Though the plan has been in the works for some time, McBride says the public is anxious for Easton Public Market to open, and she receives a lot of questions from residents. “The social component is obviously big at the outdoor market and we just want to build on that,” she says.
Building the synergy between the public market and the outdoor market and finding the balance will also be a focus for the next year as well, McBride says. The one downside of that, McBride says, is making sure vendors have a place to set up shop next season.
“I feel some responsibility to find a way for these people to sell, to continue at other winter markets in the Valley,” she says.
Until she does find another space for the winter market, McBride says there will be a chance that the vendors that have prepared food items will be able to be featured in the public market.
McBride does not take all of the credit for making sure both markets run smoothly, acknowledging the efforts of her assistant, Brittany Vokoun, and the market's volunteer force. Many of the weekly programs, such as the local artists, music, kids' activities and chef demonstration, allow the market to connect with the rest of the community.
Looking back on the years she has been with the Easton Farmers' Market, McBride says her greatest achievement has been changing people's perception of Easton. She says nothing makes her happier than standing back on a Saturday morning and just taking in all the smiling people enjoying the city she's proud to call home.
“The Easton Farmers' Market draws people to Easton and after experiencing the market's beauty and vibrancy and its energizing vibe, they leave feeling that way about our city,” she says.
The community spirit of the market is what keeps McBride going day after day.
The market will be an ever-changing experience for those who come to downtown as the city changes and expands around it. McBride says she doesn't know when she'll give up her post, considering the market is constantly growing and evolving.
“My assistant [Vokoun] and our board members and I are always scheming up something new; I don't think I'll ever be done,” she says.
For those who don't patronize the market, McBride says they miss out on more than just the delicious products. They miss time with friends and even making new acquaintances.
McBride says one shopper threw a Christmas party for the vendors and volunteers just to show how much he is grateful for what they do. “You don't get that going to Giant,” McBride says.
Easton Farmers' Market Spring Vendors
Key:
(W) Denotes vendor is available on Wednesdays(S) Denotes vendor is available on SaturdaysProduce FarmsApple Ridge Farm (W & S)Backyard Growers (S)Beechwood Orchards (S)Blooming Glen Farm (S)Chandeluna (S)Moonshadow Farms (W)Jett's Produce (W)Hidden Splendor Farm (S)Pheasant Hill Farm (S)Primordia Mushroom Farm (S)Salvaterra's Gardens (S)Scholl Orchards (W & S) begins late June, early JulyDairy FarmsBaD Farm (S)Ironstone Creamery (W & S)Valley Milkhouse (S)Pastured MeatBreakaway Farms (S)Purely Farm (S)Bakery & ConfectionDebbie's Kitchen (S)Freckle Face Fudge (W)Saxman Breads (S)Stone Oven at Apple Ridge Farm (W & S)Sweet Girlz Bakery (W)Tomblers Bakery (S)Specialty FoodsAladdin Middle Eastern (S)The Colony Meadery (W)Easton Salsa Co. (W & S)Heidi Mellon Catering (S)Lakeside Maple Trail Mix (W)Peace Valley Winery (S)Pickle Licious (S)Tolino Vineyards (W)Stagecoach Orchard Apiary (S)Tassot Apiaries Inc. (W)Vik's Picks (W)Restaurants & CafésBank Street Creamery (W & S)Greenmouth Juice Café (S)Fieldstone Coffee Roasters (W & S)Sumac Catering (W)Sycamore Grille (S)Terra Café (S)Thisilldous (W)Flowers & BotanicalsEve's Garden (S)Compost (W)Hope Hill Lavender Farm (W)Mercantile Home (S)Teel's Hill Soapworks (S)
Artists & Crafters
Arts Community of Easton (ACE) (W & S)
Spring Market Events
May 2 Opening Day
9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Kick-off the 263rd season of America's oldest continuous market. Enjoy live music, kids' activities and chef demos.
May 6 “Weyerbacher Wednesdays” Market Grand Opening
5–8 p.m.
Weyerbacher Wednesday evening market returns for its third season with 20 fabulous vendors. Stop by for fresh produce, pastured meats, dairy, bread, sweets, wine, prepared foods and more! The market even offers free sampling of Weyerbacher craft brews.
