It started as a social media post. It's ending — for now — with nearly a dozen farms lined up near the Rose Pavilion.
Brooks Reitz floated the idea online: Hampton Park should have a farmers market. Eva Suarez saw it, said she was in, and the thing took off. A GoFundMe cleared $5,000. The city signed off. Now it's real.
The Hampton Park Farmers Market debuts today, 3–7 p.m., with three more Wednesdays to follow: June 17, June 24 and July 1.
Not a Side Project
This isn't a couple of hobbyists setting up folding tables.
Reitz owns Leon's Oyster Shop, Little Jack's Tavern and Melfi's. Suarez co-owns Basic Kitchen. Between them, that's a chunk of Charleston's dining identity — now pointed at a park in Wagener Terrace.
The market joins downtown's longtime Marion Square fixture. But this one has a different feel: smaller, neighborhood-first, built by people who already know how to run a room.
Who's Showing Up
The same vendor lineup holds across all four weeks. Look for them in a row near the Rose Pavilion:
Brandon's Bread — the artisan loaves supplying some of the city's best restaurants
Chucktown Acres, Lowland Farms, Kindlewood Farms — produce and meats
Holy City Hogs — the pork name locals already know
Counter Cheesemongers — cheese, plus sandwiches
Lowcountry Fungi — mushrooms worth a detour
Two Charleston nonprofits will be on hand too: The M.A.R.S.H Project, working to preserve marshlands, and the Green Heart Project, teaching kids where food actually comes from.
The Part That Makes It a Hang
Here's the difference between a grocery run and an actual reason to go.
Basic Kitchen is selling beer and wine — and you can drink it right there in the park. Brandon's Bread and Counter Cheesemongers are turning out sandwiches for anyone who'd rather picnic than haul groceries home.
So you can shop for the week, or you can grab a sandwich and a glass and post up on the grass. Most people will do both.
"The reception has been incredible. It is a huge part of their business model."
Eva Suarez, on what markets mean for local growers
That's the quiet point here. For small farms, a market like this isn't a nice-to-have — it's revenue. She told the Post & Courier the response from growers has been exactly that strong.
The Bottom Line
Two of Charleston's sharpest operators looked at a beautiful park and decided it needed a market. The city agreed. The farms signed on. And it came together fast.
Four Wednesdays for now, with a fall return already in the plans. Bring cash — the vendors take cards, but cash is preferred.
Worth the walk.
This is a summary of an article published in the Post & Courier. Click here if you'd like to read that article.
