With as popular as Savannah’s Forsyth Park Farmers Market has become, there’s been talk for many years about finding a way to effectively duplicate that success in other places around the city. There’s been a Farm Truck making the rounds for a few years, and just a few months ago, the Forsyth Market opened a ‘farm store’ of sorts on Waters Avenue in an effort to meet the needs of people searching for fresh, organic produce.

Those have been good ideas, but they don’t have what it would appear a lot of people have been looking for. A central gathering spot-type of Farmers Market in the middle of the week that serves both as a market for some of the best produce you can find around plus a place to have a seat with a glass of wine and catch up with some friends. If you aren’t shopping, maybe you are visiting, then you can take a walk with your group down the block for dinner or more.

That was the idea behind the new Midtown Farmers Market, a collaboration between a handful of very popular establishments: Sixby, Lone Wolf Lounge, Over Yonder and others. It debuted Wednesday afternoon and will be held every single Wednesday going forward from 3:00pm until 7:00pm. It’s actual address is 222 East 41st Street in the Baldwin Park neighborhood.

I’m calling it an Organic Happy Hour.

The idea is to give people who shop for these types of items some more options. Natasha Gaskill, Owner of Sixby’s, tells me that this hasn’t been created to compete with the Saturday morning market. Not at all. This is an additional option for people who just don’t have the bandwidth to make it down to Forsyth Park on a Saturday morning anymore. If you haven’t noticed, it gets fairly crowded these days. It’s not exactly the kind of place you want to park for a minute, walk 3 blocks and then buy your produce.

The Forsyth Farmers Market has become one of the best spots in town to spend an hour-plus with nowhere to be but maybe brunch. “Grab and Go” down there has largely come and gone.

The Midtown Farmers Market is obviously smaller, but it gives you a fair amount of options you will find on Saturdays. A win win for everyone. Find them on Instagram @mfmsavannah

The other upstart market is called Savannah Sunset Market. It will be held 3 Thursdays a month at Savannah Harbor. Yes, the same Savannah Harbor that is over the river on Hutchinson Island near the Westin Hotel and the Savannah Convention Center.

If you haven’t taken a peek over there lately, there’s a fairly new condo development and lots of waterfront open space.

It is being promoted as “Fishermen, Farmers and Artisans” so you will likely find some arts and crafts to go along with their food offerings. They are currently accepting applications from vendors as well. You can find a link to their website here.

Beyond that, other than condos upstairs, there isn’t much more built over there yet. I know there are plans for a restaurant and some retail, but for now it will just be the market, some live music, the Savannah River, and a pretty sunset. That certainly doesn’t suck. Especially a few Thursdays a month.

Options are always good.

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