Museum/Farmers Market

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

At a time when many counties, large and small, were tightening belts against the poor economy, Colleton County chose to invest in the health and quality of life of its residents. Combining money from State and Federal Grants and County Accommodations and Hospitality Taxes, Colleton County developed a multi-purpose facility that provides a home-base for the local farmers market, a meeting room available at a nominal fee for functions, parties, and local business training, and a dynamic new museum location celebrating the arts, culture, and history of this Lowcountry community. The new facility has been a tremendous success since its opening in the last quarters of 2011. Visitor traffic at the Museum has skyrocketed and the gift shop had the largest quarterly sales since record keeping began in 2007. The Farmers Market was open twenty five days from September 11th through December 31st. Although this was not the peak of the growing season, attendance was brisk with more than 200 people dropping in for the Holiday House Saturday in December. This whole facility is a comfortable, friendly, accessible space that reaches out to the community encouraging healthy eating; providing retail opportunities for local farmers; giving residents glimpses into the past through artifacts, documents, and stories; and bringing lessons about the plants and animals indigenous to the ACE Basin region of South Carolina. It is a great combination of commerce and camaraderie, of economics and education, of people and possibilities.