WORCESTER—Market on Brussels sprouted as the newest weekly farmers market in the city on Sunday and plenty of people turned out. More than 30 vendors peddled everything from local fresh produce to meats, seafood, baked goods, specialty foods and beverages from their tents. Even gluten-free popcorn and hot sauce were available.
There was a long line at Still Life Farm’s tent waiting to purchase produce, but brussels sprouts weren’t available at Market on Brussels because they’re not in season yet. Kristen Stillman of Stillman’s Farm in New Braintree and Still Life Farm in Hardwick said her family businesses will sell brussels sprouts in the fall.
“We sell them right on the stalk, which is a fun little treat for people to experience,” she said, “because not everybody realizes how they grow.”
Stillman Farm is one of the several vendors at Market on Brussels that also participated at the Canal District Farmers Market before it closed when the pandemic hit in 2020.
“This is a lot busier than I was expecting,” Stillman said. “It’s great to be at a new location and back in Worcester, too.”
After the success of Market on Exchange farmers market on Exchange Street on Oct. 13, Market on Brussels launched a weekly market on Sunday on Brussels Street outside the MJ Whittall Mills complex behind the former Rotmans Furniture store. The market is scheduled to be held every Sunday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. through Oct. 26, but if the weather holds out the market may continue another couple of weeks to accommodate a turkey farmer and a pumpkin vendor.
“My hope is we can even do a Kris Kringle market around the holidays,” said Market on Brussels organizer Julia Moriconi, “and if this is really successful and we can get any indoor space around here, we’d like to keep it going year round.”
Market on Brussels offers greater accessibility and more parking than Market on Exchange did.
Moriconi makes homemade ice cream at Mrs. Moriconi’s Ice Cream at 3 Brussels St., and she also has two food trucks and two ice cream carts. In addition to homemade ice cream, Moriconi sold chicken pot pies and Italian sandwiches out of her food truck at the market.
“We were mobbed for the first hour,” Moriconi said. “Then we had a little bit of a lull and now we’re picking back up again. So I think this is an unqualified success.”
Golden Grain Artisanal Bread of Princeton sold out all 80 of its loaves in the first 42 minutes and then quickly sold out another 24 that baker Bryan Faucher brought when he arrived a little later.
“I’m not shocked that we’re selling out, but I’m shocked with how quickly we sold out,” said Bryan’s mother, Deb Faucher. “This was the first one for a new market so we didn’t know what to expect. So we know now to bring more bread.”
Faucher said she was impressed with the farmers market.
“I think it’s amazing,” Faucher said. “They’ve done a great job. The people are clearly here, the music, it’s just an awesome vibe. People have been very positive and they said Worcester really needs this and it feels like Boston today.”
Moriconi has worked several food truck festivals and she said since her manufacturing kitchen on Brussels Street opened two years ago she felt the property “was screaming for a farmer’s market.”
So she got the permission of the landlord and put together a team of volunteers to make the market a reality. She contacted Stephanie Ramey to ask how she had organized Market on Exchange and Ramey asked her to take over the market.
“I’m very happy I did,” Moriconi said.
Moriconi said she prayed that the forecast for rain on Sunday was wrong and throughout the week she slowly swallowed an entire bottle of Tums Smoothies antacids. Her efforts paid off because the farmers market remained dry.
Some of the tenants at MJ Whittall Mills, including the Courthouse Brewing Company and Acoustic Java coffee house, opened their doors during the market and were busy.
“Everybody keeps saying that it’s amazing,” Moriconi said. “Everybody is happy. The feedback is 100 percent positive and I’m thrilled.”
Moriconi’s husband, Johnny “Blue Horn” Moriconi, played the trumpet in a band under a tent with Lisa Marie and Johnny Juxo to entertain customers.
Owen Phipps, 46, of Sutton purchased an Italian sandwich from Mrs. Moriconi’s, a fluffernutter from The Queen’s Cups and a half gallon of dark maple syrup and a pint of maple cream from Pure BS Maple Shack of Auburn at the farmers market.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “It’s so much bigger than I thought it was going to be. So many amazing vendors. The food is out of this world.”
Worcester resident Amy Harper Munger, 62, picked up some tulips, ranunculus and anemones at Fivefork Farm’s tent for her daughter Ursula Munger, 31, a Worcester native who lives in Boston. Ursula’s husband, Jay Livermore, bought her flowers from Fivefork Farm in Upton for Mother’s Day.
“So it was time to replenish,” she said.
The Mungers thought attending the farmers market was a fun way to spend a Sunday.
“It seems great for the city of Worcester,” Ursula said. “All different generations out here from babies to grandparents. It seems like it’s a great place for people to come together on the weekends.”
“I love farmer’s markets,” Amy said. “We’ll definitely come back.”
Fivefork Farms manager Dave Gorman, 46, of Worcester said Market on Brussels was just as busy if not busier than the former farmers market in the Canal District. Gorman expected to come close to selling all of his flowers.
“Not surprised knowing that Worcester wanted a market like this since that one went away,” Gorman said, “but I am surprised that this is the first day of a new market and I know a lot of people didn’t know about it yet.”
Paula Culhaine, 63, and her husband Tim Culhaine, 62, of Rutland enjoyed tacos from Courthouse Brewery’s tent.
“It was delicious,” Tim said. “I can’t wait to try one of their beers.”
Their daughter, Kelly Senior, recently opened Brightside Tattoo in MJ Whittall Mills so they decided to drop by the farmers market.
“To help support the artistic community,” Paula said, “and to get out of the house and do something fun for the day.”
The Culhaines had attended farmer’s markets in New York, but this was their first one in Worcester. “I like that they’re offering something close and different with this kind of variety,” Paula said.
Moriconi said festivals are planned for the farmers market when strawberries, peaches and corn are in season.
The Regional Environmental Council is scheduled to resume holding smaller farmers markets at Beaver Brook and University Park in June.
Bill Doyle has been a professional journalist for 47 years, most of them as a sports writer for the Telegram & Gazette. He covered the Boston Celtics for 25 years and has written extensively about golf, boxing and local high school and college sports. He also worked for the campus newspaper when he attended UMass-Amherst. He can be reached at billdoyle1515@gmail.com
