By Katherine Kelton
The Three Village Farmers & Artisans Market, located at 93 North Country Road in East Setauket, had an impressive turnout Friday, July 26. Visiting the market is a cornerstone for many Setauket, Stony Brook and Old Field residents.
Each vendor was chosen to be at the weekly mart because of its locale, individuality and business message to customers.
Beekeeper Bill O’Hern, owner of OHoney Bee Farm, shared, “I’m at several markets and this one I live near. This is my market.”
He was inspired to start his bee farm 15 years ago after learning his daughter had intense seasonal allergies, making her unable to eat processed honey. He said he tried to find local honey, and when he couldn’t he figured “the heck with it, I’ll just do it myself.” He brings a small colony of bees each week for passersby to see.
Local produce vendors are also plentiful at the market. One vendor, Calvin Greenwood, is the farm manager at Oregon Road Organics. He spoke with TBR News Media about the importance of local produce: “We see a ton of repeat customers here and are happy to have organic North Fork produce vendors here.” The Cutchogue-based farm mainly sells its produce on the wholesale market at places like Citarella Gourmet Market in New York City and farm-to-table restaurants. However, the business also goes to weekly markets in Glen Cove as well as Three Village.
“People are very friendly here, the other vendors here are very friendly,” Greenwood said. “This is a great place to harness community engagement and gathering.”
The Three Village Historical Society houses the weekly market on its green area. Beverly Tyler, historian at the society, said, “My favorite part about the farmers market is having lots of people here and getting to tell them about the books.”
Tyler is an author and was selling signed copies of his books at the market. One of them, “Mary Swift Jones: Love and Letters from Japan,” tells the story of his great-grandaunt and her travels in the Far East in the mid-1800s.
Giovanni Zito, owner of Zito’s Traditions, also embodies local importance with his homemade family recipe pesto sauce. He is new to the farmers market and said, “Everyone seems very warm. The people who run the market are very helpful and friendly people.”
Zito began his business after transitioning from working full time and had an “entrepreneurial itch” he wanted to scratch. The pesto recipe originated from Sicily and had been perfected over generations. He brought 200 jars of pesto that sold out quickly. He then created a business and has sold it at markets ever since.
Artisan products are plentiful at the Three Village market: Julia Vogelle Pottery and Carré Bouquets are just two of the nonfood vendors at the market. Happy Dogs Surf Shop is a newly-founded company by Brandon Schweitzer. All proceeds of apparel products go directly to no-kill animal shelters.
To become a vendor, applicants can submit a form to the Three Village Historical Society website: www.threevillagehistoricalsociety.org.
If you want to visit the market, it is open on Fridays, in August from 3 to 7 p.m. and in September-October from 3 to 6 p.m.
