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The Herring family used to sell blueberries at markets in Mebane, Hillsborough or Chapel Hill.

But now they’ve settled on the farmers’ market in their own town.

“We’re here because we live in Gibsonville and watched it grow,” said Rocky Herring. On Saturday, his children sold fruit grown on their grandparents’ small farm.

“I like the people here,” said 15-year-old Ryan Herring. “They’re a lot more down to earth.”

In its third season, the Saturday market is flourishing. Each summer more vendors choose to set up on the greens downtown, and the number of customers grows.

Marcine Holmes of Burlington stopped by the Herrings’ booth to buy some blueberries and also got some corn and watermelon on her first trip to the market.

“We just heard it was good,” she said. “It’s close and shady, and it’s nice,” Holmes said, planning to return next week.

The first day the market opened in 2007, a single vendor sold potatoes.

On Saturday, about 14 vendors offered their goods, including locally grown produce, eggs, soap, honey, jewelry and other crafts.

“It seems to be a new vendor sets up here about every weekend,” said Pam Eagle, who sells cobblers, cakes and jams with her sister Pat Ford.

The market has brought vibrancy to downtown, said Neil Bromilow, a planning board member.

“It brings hundreds of people to downtown Gibsonville who normally wouldn’t go there,” he said. Three years ago, if you were driving through Gibsonville on a Saturday morning, “you just kept on moving,” he said.

Bromilow was chairman of the downtown revitalization committee that decided the town should have a market. The committee guided the town to invest in relandscaping the downtown greens, replacing old streetlights and reclaiming the town’s identity as the “City of Roses.” The town also built the Depot Stage next to train tracks and books bands to perform there each Saturday evening.

Some shop owners said the downtown events help attract shoppers.
The Depot Stage concerts and the crowd they attract have encouraged some shops, such as The Jewelry Village, to stay open in the late afternoon and evening.

“People are learning about Gibsonville,” said Sharon Tyll, co-owner of the jewelry store. “That’s what we like ... I really think we’re building a community spirit.”

As for the market, Bromilow said he expects it to continue to grow.

“In my opinion we’re probably halfway there to where we could be ... to what the town could support.”

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at jamie.kennedy@news-record.com or 449-4610.