Downtown Farmer's Market - Opening Day!

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The Downtown Farmer’s Market opening day is on April 29th.

The market will be open every Monday and Thursday through December, weather permitting.

Imagine that it is summertime and you are craving local produce. The weather is gorgeous and you decide to go for a walk. You walk to the Grove Street Plaza and find a plethora of stalls from farm stands to prepared food to home goods and body care products and more. What makes this market so special is that all of the vendors and businesses are local, supporting each other and growing in Jersey City.

The Downtown Farmer’s Market is run by the Historic Downtown Special Interest District (HDSID). It was started in 2008 with a handful of vendors and this year, it will have thirty vendors. With 300 visitors per market day, the market continues to evolve as Jersey City grows and the population continues to diversify. “We try to bring in a variety of niche products while still maintaining our goal of offering healthy produce to our residents. It’s a balance between bringing in something new and still having farms with amazing produce,” the HDSID explained.

What sets the Downtown Farmer’s Market apart is its location and the ability to pull in new and different vendors each year.

It is also a local taste of New Jersey. The market “...has some great vendors, like Hoboken Farms, Blue Mountain Tea, Bang Cookies, JC Fish Stand and so many more, that are from our area. We also have our reliable and amazing farms - Ort, Stony Hill and Organic Circle Brook.” This year they are bringing in new vendors like Fugee Burger, which is frozen vegan burgers, and Nutsola, a new way to enjoy energy bars. They have a Jersey City body-care favorite, SIPPs, Sol Infusions Potions & Punches LLC, and are also expecting a number of CBD companies to attend as well.

In addition to the amazing vendors bringing great appeal to the market, the location of the market is perfect - its prime spot makes it so easy for people coming home from work to stop there and then hop on a bus or back on the path home. “Before or after you shop, you can visit Newark Avenue Pedestrian Mall, walk around, and then go home and enjoy your purchases,” explained the HDSID. It is a great evening activity to make the day a little better.

We spoke to two long standing vendors of the market who shared their thoughts on the market and why they come back every year.

Michelle Berckes, owner of BusyBee Organics has been part of the market for five years. As she explained, “The market provides a unique opportunity for my business to pop up in a highly trafficked location where our target market congregates. Our customers care about sustainability and healthy foods, so while they shop for their sustainable, healthy produce from the wonderful farmers, they are able to supplement with our food as well! It’s an added bonus for the farmer's market regular and a great space for us to meet like minded individuals.”

Hoboken Farms is one of the original vendors of the Downtown Farmer’s Market. “That's over 700 markets at the Grove Street Plaza over the last decade. Hoboken Farms participates in over 800 markets per year across New Jersey and the amount of people that we see in other towns from Grove Street is remarkable. Rachel and the board of HDSID are always proactive, insightful, and energetic. At the end of the day a great farmer’s market not only provides access to fresh local food, but also helps create and sustain a community,” Brad Finkel of Hoboken Farms shares.

They are still accepting vendors if you are interested in applying click here.

The HDSID also runs the All About Downtown Festival, Artist and Makers Market, and Groove on Grove. They partner with a number of organizations and businesses who use the Newark Pedestrian Plaza for events. The HDSID is a non-profit, working with local businesses, property owners and neighborhood associations in conjunction with the City government to promote the area, improve the services provided and undertake any and all activity to make Historic Downtown Jersey City a better place to live, work and visit.