Ellsworth’s weekly seasonal farmers market will kick off this weekend at its new waterfront location.
This Saturday, the Ellsworth Farmers Market will open for its first full season in the parking lot of the Union River Center for Innovation, adjacent to Harbor Park on the city’s waterfront on Water Street.
The market, which was temporarily stationed by Fogtown Brewing Company last year, relocated to the riverside lot towards the end of last season. The market plans to operate this entire season — May through November — at the new site.
Founded in 1978, the city’s farmers market is one of the oldest in Maine. Although the market has bounced around during that time, it’s been located at 190 Main St., next to the John Edwards Market, for at least the past 15 years, according to Jordan Fountain, chair of the Ellsworth Farmers Market, a nonprofit.
But after their Main Street location was sold to a new owner, the market sought a new home for its 2025 season. After hosting a season by Fogtown, where limited space was available for vendors and visitor parking, the market found a permanent site by the Union River.
The new riverside location has substantially more space for parking and additional vendors, Fountain said. The Ellsworth Farmers Market pays rent at the innovation center — which is a city-owned business incubator — though the market’s nonprofit status qualifies it for a discounted rate, she added.
In addition to four new vendors, all eight of last year’s sellers will be returning this season, though the market will continue to accept new vendor applications on a rolling basis. Returning vendors will offer a variety of vegetables, fruits, flowers, meats, breads, knitted items and Indian cuisine.
Among the newcomers is a wellness apothecary selling handmade lotions and tinctures — including whipped beef tallow balm and herbal magnesium spray — and a local farmstead with pickled and canned seasonal produce. The organic family farm Tide Mill, which has been run by the Bell family since before the United States was a country, will also operate a stand every other week.
The market will also host live musicians and offer periodic storytime sessions for children, led by a librarian.
Through a partnership with the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Market and Healthy Acadia, vendors will accept food stamps.
“Farmers markets are vital economic engines for any downtown,” said Cara Romano, executive director for the community group Heart of Ellsworth, who has partnered with the market to advertise its new location. “It connects local people and visitors to people who are making a living off the land. To me, it’s our pride and joy.”
