The Wake Forest Farmers Market will move to Renaissance Plaza on Brooks Street soon, maybe as quickly as next week but definitely in September.
“We are very excited of course,” Terri Wilkinson said in making the announcement Wednesday, today. A longtime vendor (The Flour Garden), she is a member of the board of directors.
“It will be a much nicer location with plenty of parking,” Wilkinson said. “Robin [Hendricks, the market manager] and I met with Pam Stevens [the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre manager] and Lisa Hayes [the town’s downtown director] last week. “Pam is excited to try to offer classes and events at the Renaissance Centre that tie in with the market.
“Yesterday we met with Doug Pearce, who owns the property. He is very happy to welcome the market and feels it will be a nice addition to all the existing and planned projects that are in the works. He gave us the green light to come as soon as we are ready. We are very grateful for the offer and opportunity and can’t wait to get started in the new location,” Wilkinson said.
Pearce repeated his welcome for the market and said it is only one of the changes and new projects for the 1980s strip mall in the middle of downtown Wake Forest that he purchased and has renovated. He moved Over the Falls Deli to the plaza, the restaurant his son operates, and opened Brooks Street Bowl two years ago. The plaza is also home to Southern Classic Cars NC.
A project that is underway is The Retreat at Renaissance, 85 townhouses to be built between South Franklin Street and the planned extension of Brooks Street connecting it to East Holding Avenue. The plan and the rezoning are approved; now the town planning department is reviewing construction plans.
Wilkinson said the farmers market began in the late 1990s when Wendy Gresham of Capritopia Farm in Bunn wanted to establish a market for local farmers closer than Durham and Louisburg, which had growers-only markets. Gresham approached Bob Johnson, owner of The Cotton Company and several other buildings in downtown Wake Forest and he provided the space in the parking lot next to The Cotton Company for the Saturday morning market. “The collaboration has ultimately proved to be good for local farmers and good for downtown,” Wilkinson said.
In 2002 the DRC (Downtown Revitalization Commission which has been renamed Wake Forest Downtown) offered to sponsor the market in the Depot Parking Lot. The market moved in 2012 to the OneCare Inc. parking lot along North White Street behind CVS, a move to alleviate the parking issues with the construction for the South White Streetscape. The move was also made to allow the market to grow, but that ran into problems when the property owners leased some of the parking lot to a used car business which has grown and uses most of the lot currently.
The Wake Forest Farmers Market is incorporated with an elected president and board of directors. You can find more information on the market’s Facebook page, by calling the market manager at 919-671-9269 or at www.wakeforestfarmersmarket.org.
