Every Saturday from May to October, rain or shine, a small patch of grass in Norwich, Vt. bustles with farmers, bakers, artists and customers. The Norwich Farmers Market is one of the oldest and largest farmers markets in New England, according to the Norwich Farmers Market website, becoming a local hub of activity on those Saturday mornings.
Producers at the market sell a variety of fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats, market manager Nica Mieloch-Blinn said. Prepared foods include numerous pastries, ciders and sandwiches, and for the arts, there are potters, painters, printmakers, photographers, jewelry makers and more, according to the Norwich Farmers Market’s website.
Though vendors sell a plethora of goods at the market, the “focus [of the farmers market] has always been that it is a farmers market,” according to Mieloch-Blinn. The market tries to maintain a “certain ratio” of vendors, she added. Most weeks, 60% of represented vendors are agricultural producers, 20% are based in arts and crafts and 20% sell prepared food.
“[The vendors] are all unique and special … I think it’s part of what makes [the market] fun,” Mieloch-Blinn said. “We try and space [vendors] out accordingly and make sure that there’s diverse offerings … it keeps people coming back and interested.”
The marketplace also attracts a high number of recurring sellers. According to Mieloch-Blinn, there are about 55 vendors each week. Of that, 40 to 45 are “regulars” and the rest are “day vendors” — a status assigned on a rotational basis to allow new vendors to vend at the market, according to the Norwich Farmers Market website. Shannon Wallis, who designs pysanky eggs — traditional Ukrainian painted eggs — is a part of the latter group.
Wallis, a Norwich resident, initially started selling at the market behind her mother-in-law’s table, which sold wool products. Then, six years ago, Wallis opened her own booth, where she now “love[s] connecting” with her fellow vendors and appreciates the community.
“It’s so lovely,” she said. “It’s home.”
Louise Glass, who runs a booth where she sells her metalsmith and jewelry designs, worked at the Hood Museum of Art in the 1990s as an exhibition designer before joining the market.
“It’s a great place to be because it’s the Dartmouth area,” Glass said. “It has people who have a sophisticated taste [in art].”
Dartmouth students themselves maintain a sense of community at the marketplace and are a fixture most weekends, according to Mieloch-Blinn and Nico D’Orazio ’28.
“I don't know if it’s post-COVID life or … if it’s the bus … [but we’ve] definitely noticed a Dartmouth student boom,” Mieloch-Blinn said. “It adds some freshness. [The vendors] love it. This is their social event of the week. It’s fun for them to meet new people and meet the students.”
Heading to Norwich to visit vendors remains a popular student group activity. D’Orazio attended the market on Oct. 19 on a trip organized by Dartmouth Civics, a club that encourages Dartmouth students to consistently vote.
While there, D’Orazio said he enjoyed the “authentic” apple cider and found a pepper jack cheese that was among his favorite discoveries.
“I was really happy to find [pepper jack cheese] here. They don’t have it in [the Class of ’53 Commons],” he said.
Looking back at his time at the market, D’Orazio added that the vendors — especially “a really sweet old lady” running a puppet stand — made it the “quintessential New England experience.”
“After midterms week, this is the change of pace I needed,” he said.
The Norwich Farmers’ Market is open Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM. Oct. 26 will be the last day of the 2024 season. It is accessible by the green Advance Transit line.
