New Farmers Market Taking Root In D.C.

A new farmer's market is trying to establish roots in downtown D.C. Recently, on the lawn of the market at Mt. Vernon Square, Pennsylvania farmer Carl Purvenas-Smith set out jams and jellies at the new Liberty Market. "For the same amount of time and effort we would expend going to the square in Gettysburg, and bringing in fifty or sixty dollars, we can bring in seven to twelve hundred dollars coming to D.C."

But where to park is proving to be an issue for these urban-bound sellers, who arrive Tuesday afternoons to catch the work crowd. Mike Berman manages the market. The land they're on is under the purview of the Washington Historical Society, but the streets are a different matter. "We got the grounds, but working with the city is a different deal." He points to the cars parked on K Street at Massachusetts Avenue, near the farmers. "The goal is to get this as a loading zone, and to get meter bags put over the meters for our farmers."

Berman intends to keep Liberty Market open through November, well past the time most farmers markets close, to give their downtown roots a longer chance to take hold.

Stephanie Kaye reports...