After its season was cut short last year, the Mason Village Market has found a new home this year, starting back up once a month at the Mason Hollow Nursery.
The market was held on the common last year, but the last two sessions of the season were canceled after the organizers and the Select Board clashed over how the event should be run. A post on the town website stated that selectmen, the Mason Recreation Committee and Mason Village Market agreed to suspend activities due to “administrative and membership issues.”
This summer, the market was able to return, but in a new place, when Mason Hollow Nursery on Scripps Lane agreed to host it. Nursery co-owner Chuck Andersen said the business holds an open house each year, usually with some simple food like hot dogs and ice cream. This year, they were introduced to a possible new food vendor, Wandering Thistles, that offers gourmet-style street food. Wandering Thistles used to also participate in the Mason Village Market.
Andersen said at the time that the event was successful for both parties, with new customers who knew Wandering Thistles coming to the nursery, and nursery customers discovering Wandering Thistles. Andersen said he was open to having Wandering Thistles back a few times over the summer, and it was then he was asked if he’d be open to hosting the full market.
He agreed, hosting the market in July, August and September.