For many college students, Saturday mornings are for rest and recuperation after a busy week and a late Friday night. Setting an alarm and catching the trolley downtown for the City Market on the other hand, provides students with a literal and figurative taste of Charlottesville.
Located a block off of the Downtown Mall, the market runs every Saturday of April through December from 7 a.m until noon.
Rows of vendors sell a variety of local goods ranging from grapes, pastries, and tacos to succulents, necklaces, and fresh vegetables. By mid-morning, the City Market is packed with locals carrying heavy bags of produce, tasting jams, and smelling loose-leaf teas. An eclectic mix of buyers and sellers, the market offers a look into Charlottesville’s culture.
Susan Parks, a townie who grows and sells vegetables every Saturday, has been coming to the farmer’s market for nine years. She has always gardened and began selling her surplus products downtown once her three daughters left for college.
“People come for the market experience. They feel they are participating by coming,” she said.
By going to the market, each individual is participating in a larger effort to support local businesses and in turn, strengthen his or her ties to the city.
As UVa student Kelly Arani said, “In coming downtown, I began to see myself as part of the Charlottesville community.”
For more information about the Charlottesville City Market check out: https://www.charlottesvillecitymarket.com/
