Displaced market finds fertile ground

 The John Jay Farm Market in Katonah on a recent Saturday. Business district  location has brought more visitors and new trade-offs. LOGAN KREISBERG PHOTO

By LOGAN KREISBERG

For many in and around Katonah, Saturdays are for the market. 

For 16 years, the John Jay Homestead Farm Market has been a local staple, carrying forward the agricultural traditions that defined the historic estate.

After the start of a major restoration project at John Jay Homestead, expected to continue through 2029, the Farm Market was temporarily displaced, and relocated to downtown Katonah.

It has found larger crowds and a new role in the hamlet. 

Now in its second season in Katonah’s Lot 2, the benefits of the move have become clear: higher attendance, greater visibility and easier access for many customers.

For vendors and shoppers alike, the experience of the Farm Market has changed.

“We might be averaging about 1,000 visitors a weekend at the Homestead,” said Caroline MacGill, executive director of Friends of John Jay Homestead. “This year, it could be north of 1,200, 1,300. I think we had a record-breaking 1,500.”

Market manager Frank Erlanger attributed the increase in attendance to longtime Homestead visitors adjusting to the move while new shoppers have discovered the market downtown.

“I think since this is more of a main street right here, everybody’s going to drive past it eventually,” said Francisco Olivo of Pickle Licious, representing a longtime vendor known for specialty pickled vegetables.

For some vendors, the higher foot traffic has translated into stronger business. “Collections are up,” noted Jeff Rowe of Orchard Hill Organics. 

For shoppers, the move to downtown Katonah has meant easier parking, greater walkability and improved accessibility. 

Homestead’s atmosphere is missed

But organizers said the convenience has changed the slower, community-oriented atmosphere that long defined the market.

“At the Homestead, people kind of make a lunch out of it, make an afternoon out of it, and stay longer. Their kids play in the play spaces, they run around and see the chickens,” MacGill said. “In town, people are pretty efficient about their shopping.”

Rowe said the Homestead’s historic barns, open fields and mature trees created an atmosphere that is difficult to replicate off property. 

While the setting has changed, MacGill said the Farm Market’s mission remains the same. 

“The Farm Market is really one of the ways that we as a community, through a public-private partnership, can express the farming values of the Homestead,” MacGill said, who noted the event’s name reinforces that mission, as “Farm Market” more accurately reflects John Jay’s agricultural history than the more common “farmers market.”

The market’s community mission has also taken on a new dimension in downtown Katonah. 

The relocation was made possible through a partnership with the Katonah Chamber of Commerce, and the market has helped bring shoppers into the village, where many stop at local businesses before or after browsing vendors.

“The location has also increased visibility for many community organizations who have reached out to us for engagement,” Erlanger said. “We have welcomed Bedford 2030, KVIS, the Katonah Museum of Art, the Katonah Fire Department, and many other local community organizations at the market so far.”

Beyond shopping, the market has also introduced new programming tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. Weekly “Rev Up 250” programming and the FEED x John Jay initiative have expanded opportunities for visitors to engage with local history while supporting community organizations and local food insecurity efforts.

Organizers confirmed the market will remain in downtown Katonah for at least the next three seasons, which makes time to refine the experience of attending this version of the market. 

MacGill said future plans include additional beautification efforts to make the downtown location feel more welcoming while preserving the character visitors associate with the Homestead.

Although the Farm Market is expected to return to John Jay Homestead once restoration is complete, MacGill said the years downtown have shown that the market can continue evolving without losing sight of its roots.

“We’re really trying to keep the spirit of the Homestead alive in the community,” MacGill said.