At St. Veronica Church in Chantilly, fresh bread, flowers and coffee from local vendors are bringing more community to Saturday mornings. Every week, parishioners and neighbors gather in the parking lot to shop small and build relationships.
That was the goal, said Jen Larmer, owner of VegOut, a local produce vendor that started the market. When she began looking for a space to host a market, calling the parish felt natural. She called Shannon Branly, parish office manager, with a simple pitch: “I want to bring the community back together.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Veronica hosted a farmers market every Thursday with a separate organization, but it was shut down. With the approval of Msgr. Dennis W. Kleinmann, pastor, a new market began in the spring with VegOut.
“Post-pandemic, some things were lost, that human connection,” Larmer said. “That’s part of my slogan, ‘real food, real connection,’ and that’s what I wanted to do.”
The market is kept small intentionally. “I wanted it to be a place where people felt like they could come and get the true market experience where you know the vendor, you know the producer, you know the person behind it,” Larmer said. “You’re not just another person in line.”
Vendors say that is what keeps people coming back. “People come back every time. We know their names, it’s the community,” said Quinn Barbieri, owner of The Little Bread Porch.
“This market has really great people,” said Elif Yurtsever, who co-owns The Running Bean Coffee Cart with Louis Gill.
The market is open to everyone, not only parishioners. “You don’t have to be a parishioner, and you don’t have to be part of the church, but come and enjoy community,” Larmer said.
Debbie McDonough, a regular, heard about the market through word of mouth and comes every week. “It’s convenient and the food is really good,” she said. “It’s worth every penny.”
Larmer said one busy summer morning stands out. “I remember looking up one time and there’s neighbors finding neighbors,” she said. “The degree to which people have been connecting has been amazing.”
According to Branly, feedback from parishioners has been very positive. The parish hopes to include its active ministries at the market to help support their fundraising and evangelization efforts.
For Larmer, the focus is making sure every visitor leaves happy. “I want to keep everyone happy so that they will tell the person in the pew next to them or their neighbors to come,” she said. “Bring somebody to Mass and then go to the market after to shop.”
St. Veronica has Mass on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m., with the market following from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market will wrap up Nov. 7 and is expected to return in the spring.
Ubillus is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Find out more
For more info about the market follow @vegoutveggies_ on Instagram.
