Rachel Willoughby, owner of RAWsalsa,
participates in several local farmers mar-kets.
She says vendors are doing their best
to keep shoppers and themselves healthy,
adopting safe methods to accept pay-ment
and to distribute samples (where
allowed) in addition to taking physical
distancing precautions.
“We’re learning the new normal,” she says.
The community response has been
heartening.
“There’s a drive to support local busi-nesses,
and I’ve gotten a lot of new cus-tomers,”
Willoughby says. “People will come
buy a salsa without even trying a sample
— and then come back the next week and
get two.”
Other farmers markets are open for
the summer. The Oak Island Farmers and
Artisans Market is held on Mondays. On
Tuesdays, shoppers can visit the Kure Beach
Market. The Thursday Summer Market
in Sunset Beach has moved to Silver Coast
Winery for the 2020 season. The Carolina Beach
Top: Signs remind shoppers of safety protocols at the
Wrightsville Beach Farmers Market on June 29, 2020.
Above: Rachel Willoughby of RAWsalsa helps a customer at
the Wilmington Farmers Market when it was operating as a
drive-through at Wrightsville Beach Brewery in March 2020.
Background: Eden’s Produce brings a trailer full of fruits and
vegetables to the Wrightsville Beach Farmers Market.
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