amny.com31%
Celebrating 50 years of Union Square Greenmarket 14%
By Barbara Vasquez22%
7/31/2026, 4:00:10 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 26 faulty reasoning types, including Optimism Bias, Anecdotal, and Attempt to Sell a Product or Service, with Confirmation Bias as the most egregious example at 16.3% saturation with 158 hits. Analysis detected 1,205 faulty-reasoning hits from 968 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 27.2% and a BS Rank of 14% (20,395 of 23,534 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 86.70% of the article peer group.
GrowNYC is celebrating Greenmarket’s 50th anniversary with a free, public birthday bash on Friday, July 31, in Union Square.
The Union Square Greenmarket is the oldest greenmarket in New York City, established in 1976 by city regional planners and GrowNYC cofounders Barry Benepe and Bob Lewis.
At the time, the two founders recognized that many farmers were losing business at alarming rates and felt pressured to sell their land by New Yorkers leaving the city.
They also saw a lot of opportunity lying in the area’s unutilized public spaces, one being Union Square.
Since its founding, the Greenmarket has grown from 12 farmers to more than 140 vendors.
On peak days, it can draw up to 60,000 visitors from all over the city.
The market itself has expanded, with GrowNYC now operating 45 markets across the five boroughs.
Amelia Tarpey, program and publicity manager for GrowNYC Greenmarkets, spoke to amNY about what it means for Greenmarkets to now hit that 50-year mark.
"It's a major milestone,” Tarpey said.
“I feel the greenmarkets have been steadfast for the last five decades in supporting farmers, local producers and New York City residents.
It’s the best quality produce you can buy in the city, really making sure that regardless of what neighborhood you're in, you can find farm-fresh produce somewhere near you.
It's really revolutionized the way New York City residents eat.”
Union Square’s Greenmarket is New York City’s largest farmers' market.
Like every GrowNYC greenmarket, it is producer-only, meaning all vendors create their products themselves and are unable to resell goods from other suppliers.
All bakeries have to source 25% of their grains from local farmers, with GrowNYC defining “local” by a roughly 200-mile radius from Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
All farms at the market also have to fall within this range, ensuring fresh, local food for the city’s residents.
“It really creates a system of trust,” Tarpey said.
“You know that the person selling you the food grew that food themselves.
It also ensures that people aren't buying in from places around the world.
Our food system is very globalized.
You go to the grocery store, [and] a lot of the fresh produce there has flown in from California or beyond.
That strict producer-only qualification for selling at the greenmarket really ensures that the produce is fresh, and also that transparency in your food system.”
The market’s producer-only status opens opportunities for small farmers across the northeast to build connections with the New York City community, and even others at the market.
David Graves, owner of Berkshire Berries farm, has been with the market since 1993.
He recalls the stand’s first day at the market and the co-founder’s words to him.
“ I think we made $40 that day,” Graves said.
“Barry Benepe, one of the founders of Greenmarket, told us ‘just hang in there, it'll get better,’ and he's right, it did.”
When the market was established, the founders sought to bring life to dead spaces around the city and create a place where people can build community.
With a number of fresh produce vendors, many chefs and restaurants frequent the market and personally connect with farmers.
Graves, for example, spoke about one of his memories meeting the late owner of the Harlem soul food restaurant Amy Ruth’s.
“The time I met Carl Redding [and] he allowed me to put a hive on his rooftop in Harlem, on 116th Street,” Graves said.
“That was a nice time for me.”
Union Square also serves as a third space for New Yorkers from every borough to connect in ways they may not have been able to before.
While amNY reporters were on line at gluten-free establishment Knead Love Bakery, a customer stood carrying a cat wearing pink heart sunglasses.
Another customer walked up as well, starting a conversation – they just happened to be a cat breeder.
“Things that just wouldn’t happen in any other place in New York City, they happen here at the greenmarket,” said Sarah Magid, owner of Knead Love Bakery.
Especially in today’s fast-paced city, the market provides a unique opportunity for visitors.
“I believe so much in the power of food to bring community together, and I think the markets are just such a prime example of that,” Tarpey said.
“I do feel like it is a different pace than the rest of the city.
It's a place where you can really just slow down and connect with your food and connect with your neighbors.”
Andrew Gottlieb is one familiar face to Union Square’s vendors, often making friends with the vendors he patronizes.
He has been frequenting the market for more than 25 years.
When asked about his reasons to keep coming back, he gave two answers.
“You come back to the market for the flavors you remember,” Gottlieb said.
“You come back for the relationships you've developed… You develop these real relationships because these are real humans.
Our country would be so much better with this type of access to food, for everybody.”
Now, the market continues to serve as a place for the community to come together and as an accessible fresh food option for all city residents.
GrowNYC, a nonprofit organization, works with the support of individuals and businesses to continue adapting to the city’s needs.
“I think despite the changes over the last 50 years and how we engage with our food, how we buy our food, the greenmarket is both this feel-good connection to your past, but also you know that it's better for the future too when you buy at the greenmarket,” Tarpey said.
“You are doing something that directly supports your local economy, from the upstate economy and downstate economy, you know that it's better for the environment and it's better for you.”
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