By K. Mauser, contributor
Mike Hott, owner of the locally-owned Hott Apiary, sets up a table at every Harrisonburg farmers market to sell his product and talk with customers.
Last year, he also started selling his honey at Harrisonburg’s seasonal Sunset Market — a pop-up market on every third Thursday of the summer months featuring live music, local vendors and plenty of food options for the whole family. July’s market is coming up this Thursday.
Although the Sunset Market takes place at Turner Pavilion, the same location as Harrisonburg’s other farmers markets, Hott said the sunset markets bring a “different crowd.”
“There’s different things here other than just farmers market stuff — music and different games and all that,” he said.
Organizers decided to choose a later, 5:30 p.m. start time of the Sunset Market to reach more community members. From April through Thanksgiving, the farmers market is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., which might not be convenient for folks who are busy in the mornings.
Each month, many of the same vendors attend the Sunset Market. However, other organizations from around Harrisonburg also visit each month to interact with the community.
Some of the best parts of these markets for Harrisonburg community members Bernita Lovely, Adrian Taylor and Aleijah Taylor are the wide range of food options available for purchase and the opportunity to “get out of the house” on a weekday.
“I come from a big city, but I love it here in Harrisonburg because it’s the opposite of that,” Lovely said. “I like this type of thing, especially when it’s during the week. I did something today, and it didn’t take my whole day — especially after working.”
This market doesn’t only benefit the community, said Farmers Market Manager Halee Jones. It also gives small businesses like Hott Apiary the chance to start selling products “at a lower cost than opening a brick and mortar store.”
“We’ve had very good success,” Hott said. “We’ve talked to other vendors and they’re … enjoying it as well.”
Hott Apiary will be attending Thursday’s Sunset Market alongside a dozen other food and artisan vendors, as well as many different activities and community organizations.
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