Stacy Shaw
Fans of farmers markets may have their choice of locations to shop this Sunday. Although
Smart Markets has left their Devlin Road location, they have found a temporary home on 13065 Fitzwater Drive in Nokesville, where they will be open to customers on Sunday, June 3. Meanwhile, some of Bristow Smart Markets' original vendors have chosen to stay on at the Devlin Road/Bristow Commons location, though that market will be under new management (Read more
here). Jean Janssen, Director of Smart Markets, who runs several farmers markets in Northern Virginia, announced their return with a temporary Nokesville location on Fitzwater Drive. Janssen feels the location serves two purposes: it remains close enough to the Bristow community and provides a market for Nokesville residents.
Members of Nokesville Business Association have been seeking the return of a farmers market as one part of their ongoing strategies to revive Nokesville's unofficial "main street." The Fitzwater Drive corridor, which mainly houses local, independent businesses, has seen a decrease in traffic in recent years with the development of adjacent communities and shopping centers Yet, Janssen is still in negotiations to return the market to a Bristow location.
Despite several locations outside of the Brentsville District offering to host her Sunday market, Janssen said she preferred Bristow, since her market had been so successful there. In fact, the main reason she chose to move the market from its Bristow Commons location was that it had gotten too big, too fast and required a larger space in which to operate. She also wanted to remain in Bristow, since Bristonians have expressed their appreciation of the market that has positioned itself as part of their community. For a region comprised of disparate housing developments, the market offered a small town feel. "That is the reason we want to stay in Bristow. They are responsible for a huge growth and expansion of this market, not just in vendor traffic, but in the fact that it has become very widely known in the farming community as a great market," Janssen said. For that reason, Janssen held off on accepting several offers that would relocate her Sunday market outside the Bristow area. The local accoustic band, West on 66, will also be performing during the market. More information on the
Nokesville Smart Market can be found on our food column
Thought for Food.
