Flowers, locally grown and artfully designed by One Community Museum and Micro-Farm, color a rainy day at Afterglow Winter Market.
Lora Young|Marlin Chronicle
I had the opportunity to visit the Winter Market at Afterglow Brewery this past weekend. At only 20 minutes away, this farmers market is a fantastic way to get out during the winter and spend time with friends while supporting local businesses.
The Winter Market is managed by Amy Jordan and her sister Michele Ascher. Jordan’s interest began as a vendor. She noticed that there was a lack of farmers markets in the Virginia Beach area so she got the idea to start her own. The first market was held at Boulevard Shepherd in 2018. In 2019, a second market was established.
In 2020, they took over an existing market in the East Beach Neighborhood. During the COVID-19 pandemic, grocery stores experienced major food shortages, but farmers and other home based food preparers were still working. To remain contactless, they decided to start a winter market using an online ordering system with a drive-through pickup.
This system was a success, and after the pandemic, they switched the market back to normal and have remained a staple every winter since. The market began in a small parking lot, but with its rapid growth, the market has continued to move to larger parking lots as it has expanded over time.
Jordan and Ascher focus on offering a wide range of items. At its inception, the focus was more so on food items, but over time they have expanded to include some non-food items such as jewelry, dog accessories, soaps and self-care items.
Many farmers markets are more generalized with their offerings for consumers. Most have baked goods, crafts and pottery. But at the Winter Market, they try to focus on food from local farmers. The market supports over 70 small businesses and farms. Most of the vendors are first generation farmers who are just beginning in the business and have a tremendous amount of passion for the job.
Walking around the market, Jordan pointed out a booth that had young farmers in their twenties. I spoke with the couple, Nick and Morgan Bautista. I was curious about what motivated them to get into this business.
They said they had friends who were farmers and after seeing their enthusiasm, their passion in cultivating their land grew from there. But the market does not just support new farmers. They also have some farmers that have been in operation for over 100 years.
“We work with small farms that preserve land and agriculture use, instead of being developed,” Jordan said. To these vendors, this is not just work but something they genuinely enjoy doing.
Allison Cook, owner of Talli Designs, said, “I just like to make people happy and spread joy.”
The vendors all have such passion for what they are doing. When you walk up to any of these vendors, you can always expect a full explanation of how and why things are made.
“It’s about preserving farmlands but it’s also about keeping dollars in the local community instead of giving it to Home Depot,” Jordan and Ascher said, referring to the most important reason for having farmers markets.
“Local food markets allow people to know the origin of their food and support local farmers who are passionate about their community. This ensures that the food is fresh, has not had anything sprayed on it and hasn’t had extensive travel days,” Ashley Livermore, a farmer for Livermore Vertical Produce, said.
Top: Vendors sell a variety of goods, such as dog bandanas by Talli Designs.
Bottom: A local vendor’s dog takes part in showing off their family’s small business.
Lora Young|Marlin Chronicle
The market offers many food options and other items to purchase. There are multiple food trucks with a variety of menus available at the market to appease the consumer who gets hungry while walking the market. On this particular Saturday, there was the Big Belly food truck, which offered Asian/Pacific Islander inspired street food.
If you are looking for a sweet treat, then you can walk right next door to the Mr. Yummy Buns food truck which offered cinnamon buns with customizable toppings. Since the market is located behind the Afterglow Brewery, anyone over 21 may walk inside and get a drink or a snack there as well.
If you’re interested in attending one of these markets, I highly encourage you to check them out. They have summer markets, harvest markets and East Beach/EOV (Ecological Outcome Verification) markets. Despite the gloomy weather while we visited, we were greeted by the vendors with smiles shining bright, as they were happy to be there and share their passion for their business.
The market operates rain or shine, so this can be the perfect way to get out on a rainy day. This is a pet friendly market, so feel free to bring your (leashed) furry friend. There are multiple booths selling dog treats and one with dog clothing.
Their next upcoming market is Friday, Feb. 22, along with a few dates in March.
So, next time you’re looking to support local businesses and enjoy fresh, sustainable produce, head down to the Winter Market at Afterglow Brewery. It’s more than just shopping, but connecting with your community, making a real impact on your local economy and trying new things.
By Lora Young
llyoung@vwu.edu
