Little Italy Farmers Market

Little Italy Farmers Market is tied to the SSJ Neighborhood Network, an organization founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania that says its mission is to provide leadership, advocate for local residents, and partner with the broader community on personal growth and neighborhood revitalization. In Erie, that gives this Monday market a clearly local frame: food shopping sits alongside a wider neighborhood effort rather than standing apart from it. The market runs in summer at 331 West 18th Street, bringing together produce, coffee, chocolates, and prepared-food staples in the city’s Little Italy area.

Why it matters locally

The SSJ Neighborhood Network describes its work as leadership, advocacy for local residents, and partnership for neighborhood revitalization, and Little Italy Farmers Market fits directly inside that mission. The market is part of an organization founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, linking weekly food access to a broader neighborhood-based nonprofit structure in Erie.

That connection matters in practical ways. A 2024 SSJNN post said staff, volunteers, and Youth Work Experience teens had spent two months preparing for the Little Italy Farmers Market at the organization’s urban farm before vandalism destroyed 85 percent of the crop. The same organization also runs neighborhood garden and market efforts across West 18th Street, 19th and Myrtle, and other nearby sites, placing the market within a larger local food network rather than as a standalone retail stop.

What you'll find there

The vendor mix pairs farm produce with a few staple add-ons that can round out a weeknight stop, including coffee, chocolates, meats, salads, and baked goods alongside fruits and vegetables. Several sellers are specifically described through their own growing or making practices, so the lineup reads as a compact set of distinct businesses rather than a generic produce row.

• -Goodhill Farm sells produce at the market.
• -Wild Field Urban Farm brings fresh produce, seedlings, and fresh floral arrangements and wreaths.
• -Post Apples Farm grows apples and more than 100 different vegetables, then sells that produce here.
• -19 Coffee offers freshly roasted coffee in single-origin, espresso, and crafted blends.
• -Pulakos Chocolates makes Old World chocolates for the market mix.
• -Urbaniak Brothers Quality Meats provides Polish products, various salads, baked goods, and fresh produce.

The market also sits within a larger SSJNN event calendar. On the same organization’s schedule, Three Sisters Park at 430 W. 19th Street hosts activities such as the Game Day and Book Bag Drive, and the nonprofit lists recurring fundraising events including the Spring Annual Guess That Tune Gala and an autumn celebrity bartending event at La Nuova Aurora Society.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, which is the clearest visit-planning detail to know before heading over. The market is held at 331 West 18th Street, while some SSJNN event posts also reference Little Italy Farmers Market activity at 430 W. 19th Street, so visitors may notice both addresses across the organization’s materials.

Restrooms are not available on site. The schedule is limited to a single weekly window on Monday afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m., June through September, which makes this more of a focused after-work market than an all-day outing. Questions are directed to Jenn Kennedy, with the organization also listing a phone number at 814-454-7814.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Little Italy Farmers Market. SSJNN also states that the market offers a dollar-for-dollar match for SNAP benefits, WIC, and Senior FNMP vouchers, a detail that can significantly extend a produce budget. Payment methods are otherwise presented clearly for shoppers, which helps keep transactions straightforward at the stand level.