The Dayton Farmers Market, which opened in 1987, has 23 shops today and is recognized as one of the top tourist attractions in Rockingham County. One of the keys to the success of the Market was to keep it exciting by limiting the hours of operation. The owners decided that the market would only be open for three days per week, year around, so as to give the market the feel of a special event. The idea of limiting the hours for the Market has worked beautifully, and the many visitors who frequent the Market report to the Visitor Center staff that it was worth the wait during their extended visits to the area. The number often averages over 4,000 during the fall and the extended holiday season.
Shopping is a big attraction in Virginia, but so is heritage tourism.
Shopping at the Dayton Farmers Market provides a perfect way to merge these two tourism niche markets into a hybrid attraction. The Dayton Farmers Market has over twenty very different shops that have one thing in common - serving the customers' needs in a friendly and quaint atmosphere. It's real easy to get too many crafts. All three of the founders hold down other full-time jobs, so the challenge of keeping the Market alive and vital is just one of the entr es on their plate. Owners Ron Williams, Steve Bird and Paige Will have been honored for their entrepreneurial success in the creation of the Dayton Farmers Market by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce with the receipt of the 1994 Entrepreneurs of the Year Award.