VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - After more than 16 years at its original location, a Virginia Beach farmers market has moved into a new place tailor-made for its mission to connect local farmers with home chefs and restaurants.
Saturday morning, Mayor Bobby Dyer, Virginia Beach City Council members and the board of the Old Beach Farmers Market cut the ribbon on the market's new location on 18th Street in the ViBe District.
The market had started in the parking lot of Croc's on 19th Street with only four vendors, but market president Duff Kliewer says it quickly became clear that wouldn't last.
“We’re like proud parents. You know, we knew that something like this would be a wonderful thing for the Oceanfront resort area of Virginia Beach and the people that live nearby. They have proven that what we’re doing is something they very badly want and so we couldn’t be more proud and gratified," he told News 3.
After five years of planning and construction, 50 vendors now line 18th Street between Cypress Avenue and Mediterranean Avenue, near the construction site of the $335 million Atlantic Park project.
Kliewer says the streetscape was constructed with Old Beach Farmers Market in mind.
“The very wide sidewalks, the lack of standing curbs on one side (and) the shade," he said, adding that there's also space to expand over to the next block, potentially adding an additional 20 vendors.
Full-time market season runs from April to October, with markets every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
