BRATTLEBORO — There's a for sale sign next to the main parking area for the Brattleboro Farmers' Market, but don't be alarmed. Yet.
According to market manager Martha Miller, the market is scheduled to open for the season as usual on Saturday, May 4, at 9 a.m.
But whether the market will continue at its longtime site on Western Avenue may be in doubt.
Miller said on Saturday that Jonathan Chase, one of the owners of the three separate parcels that make up the market site, has put his property on 606 Western Ave. up for sale.
That property includes the main parking area and land used for some of its vendor space.
“It's pretty much our entire visibility from the road,” said Miller.
Chase confirmed over the weekend that the property is for sale, and that John McPherson of Berkley & Veller Realty of Brattleboro is handling the sale.
McPherson said Sunday that the listing is for three contiguous parcels with 456 feet of frontage on Western Avenue between the Planet gas station and Brookside Drive.
It includes the William Harris/Joseph Caruso House, which was built in 1768 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Restored in the 1950s by Caruso, it is believed to be one of the oldest houses in Brattleboro.
The house, and the 2.3 acres that go with it, is zoned as mixed-use commercial and is listed at $595,000.
Miller said Chase offered the property to the market first. But Miller said the market, one of the oldest and largest in Vermont, only has a commitment from Chase for the Western Avenue site through the end of this year.
Green Mountain Power and the Planet gas station own two other land parcels that the market rents each season. Miller said the market still has agreements to use those parcels, but access to the market would be more difficult without the Chase property.
“We love this spot and we hope to stay here,” said Miller. “Our success has been based on being on Western Avenue, having ample parking, having shade and green space, and places for kids to play. We really have roots here.”
Miller said more than 50 vendors have committed to the Saturday market this year, and about a dozen for the downtown Wednesday market.
“We're really excited,” she said. “We've got a full and vibrant market planned for this season. We just want to get the word out that we're still here, and we're going to be open on May 4.”