About us

In the late 1940's, Ray Garver, Sr. recognized the need for a farmers' market on the west shore of Harrisburg, PA.  At the time, he was the owner of the successful Hummelstown Market in neighboring Dauphin County.

Mr. Garver purchased property in Lemoyne, PA., which at the time was part of an old air strip.  The Market opened its doors for the first time on April 1, 1950. At the time of the opening, the Market had 26 vendors. Originally, the Market was open on Wednesday 6-10 PM and Saturday 7 AM - 9 PM.

In 1953, a large addition was constructed on the State Street side of the Market. Initially, that portion of the Market was utilized as an area to conduct weekly auctions of various goods. However when the Chestnut Street Market closed in 1955, a number of vendors including Kepler's Seafood, moved into the addition.

Ray Garver, Sr. passed away in 1959 and his son, Ray Garver, Jr., returned from Juniata College to run the Market. Mr. Garver, Jr. operated the Market by himself until 1990 when his daughter, Tracy (Garver) Katshir, entered the family business. Today, the Market is managed by Tracy and her husband, Greg Katshir.

The Market went through a major transformation in 1999. In the wee hours of the morning on February 1, 1999, the Market was destroyed by fire. The Market tradition, however, would not be lost in the flames. On March 26, 1999, a "Temporary Market" was established in an existing building on the property along with a pole barn that was constructed solely for the purpose of a temporary market. The vendors and shoppers were cramped, however, business seemed to boom at the crude Market. All awaited construction of a new Market on the site of the old Market.

On June 16, 2000, the doors were opened for business in the 60,000 square foot facility. The Market has two floors. The Specialty Shops, located on the upper level, offer a wide variety of fine gifts, jewelry, antiques, books and a salon. The farmers' market, located on the lower level, has 50 vendors who sell all kinds of foods from fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, meat, and prepared foods to gourmet coffees and soft pretzels.