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By SASHA JOHNS | Special to the Reporter

COLUMBIANA – This summer the Columbiana Main Street Organization hosted a Farmers Market certified by the State Agriculture Department.

From June through the end of August, produce vendors C&J Farms and farmer William Crow, along with other homegrown and homemade vendors that made everything from local peanut butter to bread, to flavored honey, to pickles and jellies, brought their wares to the Shelby County Courthouse overflow parking lot early each Saturday morning to sell to locals.

In addition to the consumables, Market Director Mark Brady added a balance of makers to the list of vendors each week. Each vendor was approved by a committee from the Columbiana Main Street organization. No commercially made items, resale or MLM merchandise was accepted.

This fall, Brady decided to extend the market with a pop-up event for artisans once a month from October to December. The process will be much the same. Only artisans will be chosen for the pop-ups, and they will be chosen by the committee. Brady said he is excited about the community that has been forming around the market during its inaugural year.

“In our fast-paced world we have a tendency to be around people without connecting with them,” he said. “What I observed at the market this summer was a sense of community. Farmers and artisans formed friendships with each other and with regular customers.”

Brady also said it was amazing to watch locals support one vendor who was raising money to adopt by baking bread each week.

“As I look ahead to the coming years, I want to continue to provide a weekly venue that fosters a sense of community,” he said. “A place where people come to learn to eat seasonally and taste the difference in locally grown fruits and vegetables, and where they share recipes with each other.”

Brady hopes that hosting these pop-ups will keep the market in minds of the regulars and continue to grow the vendor base they have when it’s time for the market to come around again next summer.

The Fall Artisan Market won’t have the produce tents this fall, but Brady said it will keep with the spirit of the summer market with its high standards for vendors.

The dates are slated for Saturday, Oct. 22, Saturday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Dec. 10. The fall market will be held in the overflow parking lot on West College Street, the same as the Farmers Market was.

For more information about becoming a vendor for the market, follow the Columbiana Main Street Facebook page. The application can be found in the events section of the page. Interested vendors can also email Mark Brady at bradysnatural@gmail.com.