Each Friday hundreds of Downtown workers mark the end of their week with a visit to the Hemming Plaza Market. From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the plaza in front of City Hall is where you’ll find arts, crafts, live music and plenty of things to eat. Several of the vendors have set up their wares every Friday since the market opened in 2002 and it – and they – have become Downtown landmarks.
Here are some of the people and sights from Friday’s market:
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The handmade and vintage jewelry booth always does brisk business at the market. | |
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Ed “The Rose Man” Jenkins usually sells out his flower booth before he packs his tent for the day. Jenkins has been the market coordinator since it opened seven years ago. | |
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Gary Trafford brings exotic live plants to the market. He said he splits his time between Hemming Plaza on Friday and the market at Whole Foods on Sunday. | |
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It’s been a while since the market dropped “Farmers” from its name, but the fresh fruit and produce booth still does a lot of business. That’s Derek Johnson, who works Downtown at Community First Credit Union. He said he always leaves with tomatoes “because they’re locally grown and only $2 a basket.” | |
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C.J. Harrison is a relative newcomer to the Hemming Plaza Market. Since May, he’s been there every Friday selling his pool, patio and playroom accessories. “I’ve got nautical, tropical and tiki,” said Harrison. | |
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Lani Neal at the “Neal’s Kettle Corn” booth. She said her family has been selling their popular sweet-and-salty snack by the bag every week since the market opened. | |
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Whenever Von Barlow (on drums) brings his “Jazz Journey” to the market, it becomes a jazz festival in addition to food and arts and crafts. Barlow is a member of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall of Fame. | |
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Arthur Glaser from St. Augustine has been selling his homemade crab cakes at the market for years. He recently added shrimp and barbecue to the menu and also sells boxes of frozen crab cakes so people can take them home. |
