Farmers markets have been a vital part of Greenville community life since the early 1800s. Now, surrounded by large grocery stores and online shopping, small markets like the Greenville State Farmers Market are more important than ever for farmers and vendors.
“The Farmers Market gives us direct access to customers,” said Gregg Deshields of Deshields Farm and Greenhouse in Greer.
The produce sold at the Greenville State Farmers Market is either grown in South Carolina or “sourced as locally possible.” Direct-to-consumer sales means lower overhead, higher profits for farmers and lower prices for consumers.
“It’s that simple,” Deshields said.
Originally a tailgate market on Court Street, the market relocated to 1354 Rutherford Road in 1949 and became a South Carolina Department of Agriculture facility in 1980. Since then, the market has been hiding in plain sight.
“We’re here Monday through Saturday year-round” said Lia Sanders, who has been the manager of the Greenville State Farmers Market since 2021. “Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest times of the week for produce and plants.”
Today, the Greenville State Farmers Market has fewer agricultural vendors and a greater variety of artisans and other vendors.
“On Saturdays, we open an additional building where we rent stalls to farmers or craftspeople,” Sanders said. “Our vendors sell handmade items like baked goods, soaps, candles, jewelry, that kind of thing.”
The Saturday retail market is open from 8 a.m. to noon.
“We do special events once or twice a month, as well,” she said. “Salsa contest. Watermelon tasting. We feature a locally grown specialty crop, and we do recipe cards, chef demos. That kind of thing.”
More markets
“We’ve been at the market for somewhere in the neighborhood of 38 years,” Deshields said. “When we first started, you had the Greenville market and Columbia and Asheville. In the last 10 years, a lot more cities have up their own markets.”
More markets mean more options for vendors and customers.
“Our farm is in Greer, so the Greenville market gives us a whole other venue to sell produce and plants to the public,” Deshields said. “We’ve got one set of clients in Greer and another set in Greenville.”
As the number of farmers markets increases, customers shop even closer to home. For larger farms such as Deshields Farm and Greenhouse, the Greenville State Farmers Market doubles his potential customers. For smaller, out-of-the-way farms, the market offers foot traffic and visibility.
Bigger crowds
Even as other farmers markets open, Greenville’s market has seen an increase in customers in the last two years. Much of the growth can be attributed to an increase in the number of vendors.
“When I first started going a couple years ago, there were just a handful of vendors that came on Saturday,” said Rachel Redding, a fabric artist who has been vending at the Greenville State Market since 2021. “Lia has worked really hard and filled up the spaces. There’s a waiting list of vendors trying to get in.”
In the last two years the average number of Saturday vendors has tripled, increasing from seven or eight to between 22 and 26 per week without losing the market’s small, community feel.
“When I first came here, the regular vendors embraced me and gave me advice based on their experience,” Redding said. “That’s what happens here. We welcome new vendors and try to show them the ropes.”
Camaraderie among vendors positively affects customers’ shopping experience.
“It’s a very pleasant atmosphere,” said Jan Gardner of Greenville Honey. “It’s relaxing. There’s no tension. When the customers come in, they’re relaxed — at ease. They’re with their families, just looking around and shopping local.”
The market has an easygoing feel and free parking.
“There are people — vendors and customers — that come every single week,” Redding said. “They like seeing the continuity and they enjoy the seasonal variety.”
