Chillicothe Farmers' Market Association

The Chillicothe Farmers' Market Association is tied to the Appalachian Community Grant Program, part of an ARPA-funded initiative from the Governor’s Office of Appalachia through the Ohio Department of Development. That public-project connection sits alongside a market that runs year-round on Saturdays and currently uses 475 Western Avenue, with summer in the Ross County Service Center parking lot and winter in the parking lot at the same address. In a market with about 30 vendors, the mix ranges from fresh-milled bread and duck eggs to matcha lattes, maple candy, pickles, and microgreens.

Why it matters locally

Paint Street and Market Street are part of this market’s own history. The market traces Chillicothe’s food-selling tradition back to 1803, when land was given for a market house in the middle of Paint Street, and then to 1805, when the location shifted to Market Street to relieve congestion. The current organization also grew from a later push for local and safe food, after demand resurged in the late 1990s and interested citizens organized in January 2002.

Its present-day role is also tied to larger civic projects. The City of Chillicothe received $35 million through the Ross County Downtowns and Destinations award for projects supporting tourism and historic sites, including Yoctangee Park development and renovation of the old Armory for a UNESCO Visitors’ Center. The market’s planned permanent year-round home is a new pavilion in Yoctangee Park next to the Armory and playground area.

What you'll find there

Bread is one of the clearest through-lines here, but the vendor mix reaches well beyond baking into eggs, meats, plants, pantry goods, drinks, candles, soap, and seasonal produce. The lineup reads like a market where prepared specialties and staple groceries share the same Saturday stop.

• -Pick up no sugar sourdough breads from Old Thyme Growers.
• -Find ciabatta, rosemary garlic, sourdough, Sasquatch breads, pizza crusts, and English muffins at Owl Creek Breads.
• -Look for fresh-milled bread from Risen Bakery Co.
• -Stella M Baklava brings baklava, baklava brownies, baklava in a jar, halva, koulourakia, pastelli, and spiced nuts.
• -Stephie’s Kitchen sells rolls, cinnamon rolls, sticky pecan rolls, scones, sourdough and flavored breads, cakes, cookies, and pies.
• -Sunny Skies Market adds cinnamon rolls, muffins, crème sticks, dinner rolls, pies, cookies, whoopee pies, bars, and turnovers.
• -Sip handcrafted matcha lattes from Matcha Mamas.
• -Two Roasting Joes offers fresh roasted coffee in whole bean or ground form, plus hot coffee and bottled iced coffee.
• -Foster Farmstead lists duck eggs and assorted cuts of pork and beef.
• -Sunnybank Farms brings fresh brown eggs as well as Black Angus beef, sweet corn, melons, and vegetables.
• -Way Farms stocks chicken eggs, fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, and pumpkins.
• -Beaver Produce Acres carries hanging baskets, bedding plants, vegetable plants, and seasonal vegetables.
• -Cory Farms combines fruits and vegetables with jams, jellies, flowers, and perennial plants.
• -Graham’s Greens focuses on microgreens, lettuce, salad mixes, and herbs.
• -The Crazy Cucumber specializes in gourmet pickles.
• -Uncle Bob’s Maple Syrup sells maple syrup and maple candy.
• -All That and a Bar of Soap covers artisan soaps, bath bombs, lotions, scrubs, balms, shampoo, conditioner, candles, and wax melts.

Farmers Feeding Veterans runs weekly, giving eligible veterans $10 in market tokens to spend on any food items at the market.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, which is the detail most likely to change how you plan a Saturday stop. The market operates at 475 Western Avenue year-round: summer uses the Ross County Service Center parking lot there, and winter is held in the parking lot of the same address. The market’s use of that lot depends on cooperation from the Ross County Commissioners. There are no restrooms listed in the visitor details, so plan accordingly. For timing, summer season runs from the first Saturday in May through the last Saturday in October, and winter begins the first Saturday in November and runs through the last Saturday in April.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at the market. Market fundraising specifically supports staff for the Market Token Tent, which operates market tokens and distributes online orders, making the token system part of how purchases are handled on site. Eligible veterans in the Farmers Feeding Veterans program also receive $10 in market tokens each week for food purchases.