‘We all need to be here’: Historic Roanoke City Farmers Market back open for business

ROANOKE, Va. – Downtown Roanoke’s oldest attraction is operating once again.

Vendors lined up on City Market Saturday morning for the first weekend farmers market since Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s Phase One reopening plan took effect.

“The customers are really appreciating it," said Tim Belcher, who has sold flowers at City Market for thirty years. "They’ve kind of been inside and haven’t been able to enjoy the market the way they have been accustomed to.”

The market did undergo some socially distant changes. The vendors’ booths were spread apart, all of the vendors wore masks, and customers had to stand six feet apart at all times.

Despite the restrictions, Tim Bratton decided to buy bags of goods from the market.

“I like to show my support," Bratton said. “I keep on saying, ‘I’m not coming back next week,’ but I’ll probably come back again and again.”

Only four vendors showed up for City Market’s revamped experience.

Belcher said it is still significant to see both vendors and customers out on Market Street.

“We’re a group," Belcher said. "We all feed off of each other’s business, and we all need to be here.”