Coffee, clothing and cucumbers came together in the lower garden of the Dr. Daniel Fisher House this week at the new Edgartown Village Market.
The market debuted Tuesday after a raincheck on its original soggy June 27 start date. It featured 20 vendors selling food and beverages, produce and flowers and goods from local artisans.
Unlike the West Tisbury Farmers Market, which does not allow artisans, and the Chilmark Flea Market and Artisan Fair, which do not typically feature local produce or food, the Edgartown market combines the two.
“I love being here with food,” said Danielle Mulcahy, who runs a booth with her husband, oil painter Walker Roman, where the two sell art and hand dyed textiles. “It feels like a proper market that represents the community. I love to see people pick up their flowers and then come over and snag a bandana.”
The couple’s collaborative booth is new — the two typically sell separately at the Chilmark Flea and Artisan Fair — but the market also features familiar Island favorites.
Nina Gordon’s business, Kulture Klub MV Kombucha, was born at the Chilmark flea where she originally sold paintings. As the demand for kombucha increased and she had to move to the West Tisbury market last year, Ms. Gordon had to switch her focus from painting. At the Edgartown market, however, Ms. Gordon marries her products, selling both together for the first time.
Jill Riedell, part owner of Martha’s Vineyard Smokehouse, is excited to be at the market for a change in scenery and to reach a new crowd beyond West Tisbury.
But she has a concern about the market’s large pedestrian population.
“I’m worried that the walking crowd won’t be as interested in the fish,” she said. “I have ice that I pack with the orders, so it’ll be fine, but people walking around might not be as into the spread.”
The market has introduced some new faces to the Island’s small business community.
Katie Leaird officially launched her business, KL Pasta, from the market today. Ms. Leaired prepared her fresh pasta by hand for the market’s original start date, and when it was rained out, she drove around the Island for six hours, delivering her pasta to buyers from her Instagram account. She much prefers selling at the market.
“This gives me the ability to tell the story behind the pasta,” she said. “I also get to be here with my nine-month-old and meet my customers face-to-face.”
Marketgoers James Joyce and Deborah Viglas welcomed the opportunity to pick up fresh foods on their way to their afternoon picnic.
“This is an underutilized space — I’ve never seen anything down here,” Mr. Joyce said, taking a bite of his crepe from The Hungry Farmer Crepe Cart. “It’s beautiful, and it’s so great that we get to enjoy it.”
Ms. Viglas expressed her gratitude for the market.
“It’s well worth the wait,” she said. “It doesn’t take away from going up-Island. It just contributes.”
The market’s co-organizer, Grace Romanowsky, sold merchandise at a welcome tent. She is thrilled to see the market, which has been long in the works, come to fruition.
“It’s been a collaborative effort that began before Covid,” she said. “The combination of artisans and farmers is terrific, and this makes them accessible to downtown Edgartown.”
The market will be held on Tuesdays through September. The hours will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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