Central Farm Markets announced its newest farmers' market is coming to Gainesville's Virginia Gateway shopping center on May 2.
The 25-vendor Saturday market will be open 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. this Saturday, and every week until Thanksgiving.
This Saturday's grand opening will be accompanied by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, just before 9 a.m., courtesy of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce.
"The market at 7500 Iron Bar Lane will feature a curated mix of vendors selling fresh meat, seafood, produce, dairy, baked goods and prepared foods," announced Virginia Gateway on its website. "Expect live music, chef demos, and family-friendly activities throughout the weekend."
Central Farm Markets runs three highly successful farmers' markets, two in Bethesda and another in Washington. The company works with more than 70 vendors, but its owner, Mitchell Berliner remains very hands-on in its operations.
Berliner, now in his 70s, has worked in the food industry for most of his career. Running farmers markets was his second act. He and his wife, Debra Moser, founded Central Farm Markets in 2008 to provide Bethesda with healthy fresh food and a place to gather on the weekends.
That first market in Bethesda became incredibly popular and led them to open others in the region. Berliner emphasized that Gainesville Central Market is not your average farmer’s market. Central Farm Markets brings years of experience, established relationships and knowledge of what makes a successful market.
Berliner hopes the Virginia Gateway market will become a place where people can not only buy fresh regionally produced food, but also gather and have a good time.
The market already plans to give back to the community by donating fresh food to the Haymarket Food Pantry.
Berliner told Bristow Beat that he is excited to have Gainesville Central Farm Market be his first Virginia market. “It looks like a fabulous location,” he said, and he is especially excited that it has plenty of parking.
More information about the market can be found at centralfarmmarkets.com.
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