Farmers Market Spotlight: Gorham Farmers Market
Photos courtesy Gorham Farmers Market
Jeff Stewart’s primary policy for the Gorham Farmers Market is simple: “Within reason, anything goes.” Stewart is director of the town’s Parks and Recreation department, which took over running the farmers market in 2019, when the event averaged about 10 to 15 vendors per week. Stewart says he has flexibility to let the vendors do their own thing because “it’s just basically me making decisions. I can make decisions on the fly instead of saying, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go back to the committee to see how that’s going to work.’” Stewart recalls one vendor who asked if she could bring her baby goats, something other markets hadn’t allowed. But he said, “If that brings people to your tent, absolutely. I’m here to help you guys make money.”
Under Stewart’s leadership, the market has grown to an average of 40 vendors every week — comparatively huge, especially for a mid-week event. “The other two big markets up here are Lancaster and Littleton, and they already had Saturday and Sunday,” Stewart says of why the Gorham market has stuck to its Thursday schedule. “I don’t like stepping on toes.”
Unlike other markets that try to stick to local vendors, Gorham doesn’t have restrictions on who can set up shop. Vendors can come from anywhere, but they must have grown or crafted the product they’re selling, Stewart says, noting that they’re not really seeking people selling “designs they made on a Cricket and threw on a T-shirt. Nothing wrong with that, but to me that’s not really what the farmer’s market should be.” (Don’t worry, Cricket crafters, the town also has a separate vendor fair where “anybody can sell anything.”) Instead, you’ll find the expected farmers, along with people who sell everything from soaps to baked goods to CBD products to prepared food. The market also hosts live music on the second and fourth Thursdays every month it’s open.
The Gorham Farmers Market is the perfect community summer spot to gather with live music, family activities, good food and great vendors. A variety of local vendors sell fresh and organic produce, eggs, pastries, sewn/crocheted items, soaps, wood-turned kitchen items, sandwiches and more.
About 15 miles from Mount Washington, Gorham is a prime location for tourists. “Tens of thousands of people roll through (the town) every day during the summer,” Stewart says. “I sit there every Thursday and see people from all over the place.” The market provides a further draw to stay and shop in the city. Stewart says it’s a good networking opportunity for vendors too, as they often continue to get orders from out-of-town customers even after the market has ended for the season. “Everybody’s just happy that the market is there.”
