Started April 4, 2009 (after almost a year of careful planning), The Clayton Farm and Community Market opened for business on the Clayton Town Square. Six local vendors joined the Market Board, local dignitaries and eager citizens as the ribbon was cut on that beautiful Spring day. During seven months of our first season the market provided local produce, quality handcrafted items, special events and music, and ample opportunity for visiting with friends and neighbors. The 2009 season closed with 17 enrolled vendors and much optimism that the future would see continued growth.
By the winter of 2009/2010, the Market Board had gained momentum to push the market to a higher level. They put together a kick-off event at the Clayton Center which allowed old and prospective vendors to set up tables and also they had the movie titled FRESH as a draw for people as far away as Rocky Mount. There was also a roundtable discussion with a few local farmers available to interact with the audience.
2010 saw continued growth. Most of the Market Board had worked together for close to three years and the board was strong. That year, the board added some of the member vendors, to try and get vendors participating more with the administration of the market. Season 2010 had a lot of growth and many special events. The most difficult part was coming up with advertising. The 2010 season ended with a total of 30 vendor members. The Market also had it first annual Thanksgiving Holiday Market and first annual Christmas Holiday Market.
In the winter of 2010/2011, the Market Board had a dramatic turnover in leadership. One original board member continued to be a board member, but all other positions were replaced by vendor members. The former leadership assisted in the transition, but there were several bumps. There was a 2011 kick-off event at the Clayton Center, but attendance was much lower than expected. Most of the Market Board has to run their farms and most work a fulltime job with the farm as their second job. This made it challenging to continue the same growth as the prior board. Overall, the 2011 season was successful. They were able to hire a Market Manager for Saturdays, and the number of vendors increased to 32 vendor members. We lost some, but gained others. This was our first year sharing the square with the Clayton Chamber of Commerce for their first annual pig-pickin' cookoff. At the end of the season, we had our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Holiday Market and 2nd Annual Christmas Holiday Market.
2012 looks promising for growth, and the Market Board hopes to grow board membership from the local Clayton community. The board believes leadership should be intermixed with vendors and non-vendors. The market board has a goal to focus more on advertising and food safety.