We have been offering fresh produce, artisanal foods and handcrafted wares in downtown Durham since 1999. When we started, the market was little more than a few farmers and crafters joining the kids from SEEDS in the gravel parking lot of the old Durham Bulls stadium on Morris Street. Through the tenacity of those early vendors (many of whom are still selling at the market) and the support of residents who saw the value of good, fresh local food and handmade crafts, we have expanded to more than 65 vendors.

We moved up the street to the Measurement Incorporated lot in 2004 and now we are thrilled to have our own space in the heart of the city. The Pavilion at Durham Central Park was largely completed in 2007, through the generosity of Durham Central Park, the City of Durham, Self-Help, and local businesses and individuals.

In 2006, the market added a Winter Market, running every other Saturday from December through March. We soon realized that the demand for fresh, local veggies remained high in the winter, and in 2008 the market became a year-round farmers market. In 2008 we also added a Wednesday market, which runs from mid-April through mid-October from 3:00-6:00 pm.

The market has a long history of working to increase food access within our community. In 2005 we began accepting WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers and in 2008 we began accepting Senior FMNP vouchers. After several years of work, we began accepting SNAP/EBT benefits in April 2014. In July of the same year, we started a Double Bucks Program, which provided an additional $10 of SNAP benefits to participants through donations to the market. In 2019 we were awarded part of a generous grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC that allows us to double the benefits of SNAP, WIC and Senior FMNP vouchers for three years, providing access to healthy locally-produced food at the market.