Community Corner

Easton Farmers' Market Gets New Indoor Home

Easton's Weller Center building will house indoor market, Easton Main Street offices.

This story was originally posted on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2, and updated 9:25 a.m. on July 3.

Easton's Indoor Farmers Market is getting a new home, one that could someday give residents a chance to shop for fresh produce year round.

When the market returns this November, vendors will sell their goods from the Weller Center for Health Education on Northampton Street.

City officials announced at a news conference Tuesday that the Weller Center—essentially vacant for the last five years—had been bought by the Greater Easton Development Partnership.

The GEDP will use the building for its offices—as well as those of the Easton Main Street Initiative and Easton Amabassadors—while devoting much of the space to an indoor farmers' market similar to the one that began running at the Nuture Nature Center last year.

Mayor Sal Panto said it will give residents "a place where they can come for quality food, healthy food, and good service."

Megan McBride, manager of the Easton Farmers' market, said the winter market was a big success, drawing thousands of people a week and bringing new customers to the Nurture Nature Center and other surrounding businesses.

McBride said the move is the first step to bringing a permanent farmers market to the downtown, a place where people can get fresh food every day. In addition to adding the winter market last year, the farmers' market launched Wednesday hours earlier this summer.

People in Easton want a downtown supermarket, Easton Main Street's Kim Kmetz told the Morning Call Wednesday.

Additionally, respondents to our "Visions for Vacancies" series consistently suggested a Whole Foods/Trader Joe's type store for several vacant buildings in the city's downtown.

The Weller Center opened in 1982 as a place for health education, and spent the next 26 years operating a facility for visitors. In 2008, the center stopped offering programs for visitors, and switched to running in-school programs.

In 2009, the Victory Brewing Co. announced plans to move into the building and open a brew pub/restaurant, but those plans fell through the following year.

The Weller Center will continue to lease space from the GEDP, and has plans to team up with the farmers' market to offer educational programs.


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