By Emily Schopfer
FAIR HAVEN – Saturday, Aug. 8, will mark the midway point for Fair Haven’s annual farmers market, which runs every second Saturday from May to November. What started as an idea shared by a trio of local women in 2024 has since grown into a seasonal staple for the Fair Haven community.
The market was spearheaded by Fair Haven residents Ana Anttonen, Elise Casey and Maggie Ludman. None of the three founders had done anything like the market before, but all shared a love for and deep involvement in their community. Anttonen is part of the fire police under Fair Haven’s Fire Department and is currently running as an Independent for mayor of Fair Haven. Casey sits on the borough’s Memorial Park Advisory Committee and Historic Preservation Com- mission, and Ludman serves as a member of the auxiliary for the fire department.
Anttonen said she was dropping her son off at Sickles School one morning and, as she entered through Willow Street, realized the wide, one-way street could be a great place to hold a farmers market.
“I asked Elise to help me with branding and marketing, since she’s a creative genius. Maggie grew up on a farm in Michigan, so she was excited to bring a piece of home here to town. Plus, her organizational skills are unmatched,” Anttonen said of Casey and Ludman.
A market is nothing without its vendors, and Anttonen said this was one of the founders’ first priorities. “I’m close family friends with Debbie and Doug Douty from Lusty Lobster, and I knew that if they believed in the vision, others would, too. They signed on early, giving us momentum and credibility. From there, we pitched the market to anyone who would listen,” Anttonen said.
Along the way, Anttonen met Meredith Stemmler, owner and operator of from scratch nj, an- other farmers market. Stemmler introduced the trio to a network of vendors, including PickleLi- cious, Potent Potables, Au Honey and Benchmark Bread, Anttonen said. “They became our core and that’s when the market really started to take shape.”
In addition to Stemmler, Anttonen said she also connected with the West Windsor farmers market, which has been running in Mercer County since 2004. The West Windsor market’s vendor lineup, Anttonen said, was a great model for the Fair Haven market, but those conversations with West Windsor also helped the founders realize what they didn’t want Fair Haven’s market to be. “We never wanted it to feel like a street fair filled with random merchandise. Our vision has always been to create an authentic farmers market centered around local farms, fresh food, specialty food producers and thoughtfully selected vendors,” she said.
The market launched in just seven months, and officially kicked off May 25, 2024, with about 25 vendors. Since then, the market has grown to as many as 46 vendors, according to Anttonen. Even though it has grown since its start, one thing that hasn’t changed is the intention behind the market. “From the beginning, we’ve been intentional about prioritizing farmers and food vendors to preserve the authentic feel of a true community farmers market,” Anttonen said.
One vendor shared with Anttonen that “she was able to put a down payment on a house thanks, in part, to her success at the market.”
“Moments like that remind us that this market is about so much more than shopping,” she said. “We want the market to feel like a celebration of our town as much as it is a place to shop.”
“We’re always looking to connect with more local produce growers so our community can have access to the freshest seasonal fruits and vegetables our region has to offer,” Anttonen emphasized. Any small businesses in town are welcome to join the market for a reduced fee, she said.
“The Borough of Fair Haven has been proud to support the Farmer’s Market from its inception in 2024,” said Borough Council President Elizabeth Koch. “Our Department of Public Works, for example, helped with the design and production of their signage, which is prominently displayed on multiple Borough property locations each month. We also paved the way for the Farmer’s Market to use a public roadway for the market, with our DPW staff deploying barricades at each end. Most recently, we deployed legal resources to support the addition of alcohol vendors to the mix. It’s been a successful partnership and collaboration that continues to evolve.”
Supporting the community has always been the “why” behind the market. “We love that this is a Fair Haven-centric event,” Anttonen said. Even towns outside of Fair Haven have embraced the market, and lately the trio of founders has found itself looking to the future. “How can we create even more opportunities and continue building things that benefit our entire community?” Anttonen said.
The next market will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 8, on Willow Street in Fair Haven.
This article originally appeared in the July 30 – August 5, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
