Ashland market opens Tuesday at ScienceWorks on East Main Street
By Jim Flint for Ashland.news
A reliable harbinger of spring is the annual opening of Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters Market, popular destination for all things homegrown and handmade.
The market will launch its 2025 season in Ashland on Tuesday, March 4, at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum, 1500 E. Main St., and in Medford on Thursday, March 6, at Hawthorne Park, 501 E. Main St.
Weekly, through Nov. 20 and 25, local vendors once again will offer shoppers a wide selection of fresh fruits, crisp vegetables, handcrafted goods, farm-raised meats, unique specialty products and more. The scent of blooming flowers in the air and the buzz of community connection set the scene.
Also on hand will be a variety of vendors selling ready-to-eat food. Adding lively energy and fun will be strolling and seated entertainers, playing for tips and gifts.
Long history at Armory
The Ashland market has a long history of residence at the National Guard Armory. Planned renovations over several years prompted the market to seek a new venue.
The original plan was to move to ScienceWorks in 2022, but renovation schedules for the armory and nearby Walker Elementary School resulted in a postponement. Plans called for construction of a pavilion of sorts, next to the museum entrance, with a concrete pad occupying about half the space of the field adjacent to the museum.
In 2022, the market operated instead on property off Ashland Street owned by Southern Oregon University. It then moved back to the armory in 2023.
When the Ashland market finally moved to ScienceWorks last season, the pavilion idea was scrapped. The market operates within a portion of the SccienceWorks parking lot.
“It’s basically a leave-no-trace market,” board Vice President Emily Ehrlich Inget said. “All infrastructure we provide is portable.”
Inget is the owner and operator of Blue Collar Berry Patch near Emigrant Lake.
Shopping ‘out in nature’
“We are very glad to have ScienceWorks as our Tuesday venue for the foreseeable future,” she said. “It’s a lovely location. With the surrounding trees, greenscaping, fun outdoor museum exhibits, views of the SOU Farm fields nearby and the mountains in the distance, you really feel like you’re out in nature while you shop.”
She attributes the market’s growing popularity among students, young people and families to its close proximity to multiple schools and ScienceWorks, which also operates summer camps.
“People out for their morning walks or bike rides on the greenway stop by as well,” she said. “There’s just a really invigorating community energy there.”
Inget said there is more parking space at the new location than there was at the armory, along with additional street parking on Campus Way.
“This year we have reconfigured the market slightly to allow for even more customer parking in the ScienceWorks parking lot next to the market,” she said. “We hope to continue working with community partners to offer additional nearby parking during peak months.”
Market organizers also encourage those, who are able, to bike, walk or carpool to the market when possible.
New vendors
Six new farms are joining the markets this year as well as several new artisan food producers and crafters. Frequent updates on the vendors list can be found on the Rogue Valley Growers Market social media feed and website.
Inget said vendors provided positive feedback about the new venue last year, praising both its location and the market’s physical layout.
Available early in the season will be locally grown produce, foraged and cultivated mushrooms, meat, fish, eggs, cheese, honey, salsa, baked goods, plant starts and a variety of homemade artisan crafts. As the growing season progresses, additional items are added to the mix.
Vendors are excited about the season opening. Among them is Elizabeth Bretko of Uber Herbal in Grants Pass.
“Our markets continue to evolve, bringing a mix of cherished vendors and exciting new additions,” she said. “This season promises a unique blend of quality and variety for our visitors.”
Uber Herbal sells fresh and dried Marigold garlands, teas herbals, and a Fire Cider, an organic apple cider vinegar with a blend of honey, horseradish, hot peppers, turmeric and garlic.
Nickole Schulz at the helm
The market’s management team includes Nickole Schulz, who joined the organization last summer as operations manager. She formerly worked for a Southern California farm that attended three markets a week in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Hollywood. She also has worked as a chef and for community nonprofits.
This year, RVGCM hired Brian Rader as a new market site manager. He has worked for the market the last two years as a market assistant, and has a background in grocery management. He will help set up the Ashland and Medford markets, support vendors and assist customers at the market information booth.
Market hours at both locations are 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
On May 3, RVGCM will open the Ashland Saturday market in the 100 block of Oak Street. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekly through Oct. 25.
The markets support the Double Up Food Bucks and Protein Match programs for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) customers. The Growers Market will match EBT dollars up to $20 each market day for Double Up customers and up to $10 for Protein Match. Matching dollars can be used to purchase fresh fruits, veggies, veggie plant starts and protein products.
For more information about the markets and weekly updates, follow RVGCM on Facebook or visit rvgrowersmarket.com.
Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at [email protected].
