MATTYDALE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Mattydale Market is back for a second season. The market was open for a brief time last year but plans to be open for the full summer.
The market was initially created last summer to give people in Mattydale an easier and more convenient way to access produce or groceries.
Mattydale Market only had one vendor suppling produce last year, but now a rotation of two to four vendors will provide produce every week that the market is open. One of the unique features of the market is that the vendor list changes every single week.
“We stagger the vendors so each week you’re coming into a new, fresh market,” said Jennifer Sampson. “So you can come next week and it’ll be completely different than it was this week.”
Sampson is a volunteer with the Mattydale Events Committee, the organization that runs the Mattydale Market. She and the committee looked to add more things to the market so it wasn’t just a typical food or farmers market. That’s when the addition of other vendors that provided various community resources came into play.
“People that can come in and help the community with various things from mental health issues, drug issues to Cub Scouts and other opportunities for kids,” said Sampson.
While food is still widely available to buy at the Mattydale Market, community programs were just a few of the additions made to the market. Additional vendors that sold various craft and artisan goods were also added to diversify the selection of products available for purchase.
The Mattydale Market is usually open outdoors in the parking lot of Big Lots on Brewerton Road, but in the event of inclement weather, the market opens at the Mattydale VFW building, an indoor space they didn’t have access to last year.
The market is open from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. every Wednesday from June 1 to September 14.