These farmers markets provide produce and goods, as well as a social hub, to their communities.
While visiting their son in New York City, Johnny and Susie Fulmer enjoyed a visit to a farmers market in Union Square. On the plane ride back to Georgia, they had a lightbulb moment. To loosely borrow from a famed song, the Fulmers thought: “If you can make one there, you can make one anywhere.”
“Anywhere,” in this instance, meant Marietta, Georgia, where Susie ran an accessory store in the city square. And thanks to the Fulmers, Marietta gained its own farmers market in 2003.
“We really needed to wake up Marietta on Saturday mornings, and we’ve accomplished that,” Susie said.
The Marietta Square Farmers Market has grown from eight vendors in its first year to an average of 60–65 most weekends — and up to 80 at peak during peach and tomato season in mid-summer. More than 1,100 patrons, including many regulars, attend weekly at the year-round market. With warmer, dry weather and produce in full bloom, the number can reach 2,000 on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to Noon.
While specifics vary between communities, the type of organic growth that the Fulmers have experienced follows a blueprint successful market managers have followed in the state, and especially northern Georgia. As cities and towns have moved toward a city center model that promotes citizens to congregate to public squares, farmers markets have played a key role in bringing locals together.
The work is not easy for either the managers — who build a network of vendors, organize the stands to maximize business, and publicize the market — and the farmers, bakers, and artisans who spend the better part of each week preparing for the events. Yet all involved agree it’s worth it. The farmers markets not only unite communities, but also promote buying from local providers and highlight Georgia’s wide variety of resources.
“You’ve got to grow it yourself,” said Randy Gazaway, market manager of the Cumming Farmers Market in Forsyth County, of his year-long operation.
The markets continually adapt to the times, including relocating to accommodate growth and enhance the market experience.
During the COVID pandemic, they provided a safe, outdoor space to find some sense of normalcy. Cash and coins, while still accepted by some vendors, have generally been phased out for credit cards and electronic payments. Word-of-mouth remains valuable, but the Fulmers and others maintain active Facebook and Instagram accounts to engage with their customers more than once per week.
Georgia’s changing demographics and national trends toward healthier eating should allow for the markets to maintain sustainable growth for the foreseeable future. It’s not an accident that many of the farmers markets in the northern Atlanta suburbs and exurbs began in the 2000s as population surges prompted demand for more community amenities.
Alpharetta, for instance, has added more than 20,000 new residents since the turn of the century, according to Neilsberg Research, a global market research and advisory firm. It now has one of the area’s most flourishing farmers markets with more than 140 vendors this year, according to the Alpharetta Business Association, which produces and directs the Saturday morning market.
Here, we profile five area farmers markets worth exploring and shopping.
Alpharetta Farmers Market
For perspective on the importance farmers markets can have on local business, one need look no further than the busiest stand at the Alpharetta Farmers Market each Saturday. Theo Brothers Bakery began as a passion project for Owner Michelle Sedgwick.
“For a long time, we didn’t make any money,” she says. “The market allowed us to be profitable. I’m grateful for it.”
Customers who line up literally around a block to buy homemade breads, pastries, avocado toast, pesto and more are certainly grateful for Theo’s, which has a storefront in Alpharetta whose business feeds off the staff’s weekly trek to the city center event.
Theo’s has been a regular through several different locations at the market, which began in 2007 with a handful of vendors. When Alpharetta reimagined its downtown to be built around a city center, the farmer’s market, which runs from early April to mid-November from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., was a large piece.
The new location provided access to a parking deck that’s connected to the public square and allowed the Alpharetta Business Association to expand to more than 140 providers. Thousands attend the market weekly, according to the ABA.
“The popularity and growth of our market necessitated not only a larger space but more personnel and procedures to make it successful,” said Beth Johnson, who directs the market and is on the business association’s board of directors.
Fresh produce, seafood, dog treats, flowers and a plethora of desserts are part of the mix. There are also multiple coffee stands. Most goods are grown and made within 150 miles of the city.
“First and foremost, visitors come to purchase fresh produce.,” said Johnson. “Our produce vendors usually sell out each week.” apharettafarmersmarket.com
Amicalola Regional Farmers Market
The City of Dawsonville grew so enamored with Amicalola Regional Farmers Market that it built a pavilion next to city hall for the market in 2020.
“It is an amazing facility, and we are so blessed to have it,” said Clark MacAllister, the market’s manager and agricultural and natural resources agent for UGA Extension Dawson County.
The market was launched in 2012 by a handful of farmers and was previously housed in the city hall and other local indoor locations. The products sold are hyperlocal.
“Our vendors live and grow in either Dawson County or any of the contiguous counties surrounding Dawson, so it still has a small community feel,” MacAllister said. “Produce vendors are allowed to sell anything they’d like as long as they grow it.”
Honey and meats run the whole season, but fruits and vegetables prove to be in high demand and can run out quickly. At peak, a little more than 20 vendors serve Dawsonville each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Because the market is smaller than others, MacAllister encourages first-time patrons to talk to the vendors and learn more about what they are offering. It also builds a rapport that strengthens the local culture.
“The farmers market acts as a social gathering space,” MacAllister said. Facebook.com/amicalolafarmersmarket
Cumming Farmers Market
Randy Gazaway says longevity helps the Cumming Farmers Market stand out. Having started in 1980, it is among the oldest in the state. While one vendor, approaching 90 years old, is a mainstay, that doesn’t mean it has stayed the same over the years.
Like others in northern Georgia, it has benefited from moving to a city center two and a half years ago. “You can get much more foot traffic,” Gazaway said of the Cumming City Center. “It’s a much better location.”
Shoppers come from as far away as Alpharetta, Roswell, Dawsonville, and Cleveland, according to Gazaway.
Gazaway, who runs his own 23.5-acre farm in northwest Forsyth County, has always stressed selling only locally grown goods. He has amassed an array of between 40 and 50 vendors at the market, which features local nuts, breads, meats, produce and microgreens among its many products.
“About every time you come out, you’re going to see somebody new there or something new,” he said. Facebook.com/cummingfarmersmarket
Ellijay Farmers Market
Given that Ellijay is a popular destination for many Georgians to go apple picking or attend a pumpkin patch, it is a bit surprising the city didn’t have its own farmers market until Christine Cleberg and Lynn Robey started one in 2004. “We have lots of talented, local gardeners and artisans and wanted to provide them with a venue to sell their products,” Cleberg said.
From its humble beginnings in a church parking lot, the market is now located in downtown Ellijay on Saturdays from May until September from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The Ellijay Farmers Market has grown from about 10 vendors each Saturday to between 50 and 60.
Old Dial Road Farm is the largest produce vendor. There is also local honey, apples and more.
New additions in 2025 will be food trucks and a shaved ice vendor, which should help with the hot summer mornings. The market also features a local musician, and the Gilmer County Animal Shelter regularly attends to help find permanent homes for adoptable dogs.
Alejandra Cruz, the new Ellijay Farmers and Artisans Market manager, says the scenery adds to the market’s appeal. “We are nestled in the north Georgia mountains which makes us unique,” Cruz said. ellijay-ga.gov/events/ellijay-farmers-artisans-market-13/
Marietta Square Farmers Market
Aside from launching the market itself, the Fulmers’ biggest decision regarding the operation was to start setting up year-round about a decade ago. Farmers with hydroponic capabilities and greenhouses suggested the expansion to increase their revenue stream.
The husband-and-wife team cares deeply for the vendors, many of whom travel more than an hour, including from North Georgia, to set up Saturday mornings in Marietta. The Fulmers eagerly accepted the challenge and got the city on board to extend service to the winter.
“We call our group of vendors a family,” said Johnny Fulmer, whose full-time job is running the market.
The couple met in retail while living in Baton Rouge, and translated that experience to the market. The design purposely aims to keep vendors in the same location each week so customers know where to find their favorites. One family of farmers who has been in Marietta since the beginning is now on their third generation of stand operators, Johnny noted.
The offerings reflect what’s fresh at the moment.
“It’s not what’s available in the grocery store, but what it is grown in that season,” Johnny said.
Winter is reliant on hydroponic lettuces and root vegetables; spring brings strawberries and asparagus; summer is naturally famous for the peaches and tomatoes. Local baked goods and meats are also available, as are gourmet goods. One vendor sells 120 dozen eggs by 10:30 a.m. most Saturday mornings, Johnny said.
The Fulmers are regularly on the hunt for new goods to offer at the market, although after 2024’s banner year (their best to date), they couldn’t add vendors in 2025.
In 2020, the market moved to an outdoor parking lot at 41 Mill Street, which made it more manageable for planning and for shoppers to interact with the vendors. The move also provided easy access to the city welcome center’s parking lot.
“It really is a perfect place for a farmer’s market,” Johnny said.
All told, there are more than 3,000 parking spots on or near the square, ideal for individuals and families who make a morning of it by also eating breakfast or lunch at a restaurant or shop at one of the brick-and-mortar stores. Susie ran her store for 28 years until selling it in 2024.
Marietta Square is now wide-awake Saturdays, just as Susie always wanted it to be.
“Marietta is thriving and has become a very young community,” she said. “Little did we realize the impact that [the market] would have, and it is for Johnny and me a very humbling experience.” mariettasquarefarmersmarket.com
Braselton Farmer’s Market
The Braselton Farmer’s Market began in 2014, quite humbly, thanks to very generous, anonymous donor. Not long after this gift was given to the community, the Braselton Visitor’s Bureau Authority saw its rich value and happily stepped in to ensure its continued success.
“You will get a true taste of homegrown goodness at the Braselton Farmers Market in historic downtown, where local farmers, bakers, and artisan food makers bring our town’s rich agricultural roots to life,” said Lauren Leonard, the City of Braselton’s Tourism Director. “What makes the Braselton Farmers Market special is that every vendor featured exclusively grows or prepares their products locally — think fresh produce, farm eggs, meats, and handcrafted baked and canned goods — so you know you’re getting an authentic farm-to-table experience every time you shop.”
The Braselton Farmer’s Market runs 4-7 p.m. every Friday from May through September in the Town Square. Here you can savor fresh honey from Dances with Bees of Cornelia, Ga., or sample artisan sausages from around the world at Sausage World in Norcross, which boasts an Italian tradition crafted with pride in the U.S.A.
“During our summer markets, we typically host around 25 vendors, and there’s always a steady stream of shoppers coming through,” said Leonard. “It’s a lively and well-loved community event!” explorebraselton.com/farmers-market
