The River Vale Farmers Market is more than just a place to shop—it’s where community thrives in the Pascack Valley. Held weekly from May through November at 406 Rivervale Road, the market features food trucks, local artists, kids’ activities, and, of course, fresh local goods. It’s become a Thursday tradition and a staple for weekly to-do lists across the area.
Currently managed by Amy Salib and Jessica Scully, the market continues to evolve, serving as a vibrant gathering space for neighbors and visitors alike. For our October "Food & Drink" issue, we caught up with Amy and Jessica to learn more.
1. What makes the River Vale Farmers Market stand out from others in the area?
We're one of just a few markets in the Pascack Valley, and we see ours as a hidden gem—not just for River Vale, but for our surrounding neighbors too. Since River Vale borders nine towns, including Montvale, Park Ridge, Hillsdale, Woodcliff Lake, Westwood, Emerson, Harrington Park, Old Tappan, and even Pearl River, N.Y., many nearby residents find it’s just a short drive.
Being open on Thursday afternoons shapes our market to fit the rhythms of midweek life. We welcome everyone—from preschoolers and caregivers looking for a fun outing, to middle schoolers grabbing snacks after school, to remote workers strolling over for lunch. We see retired folks and stay-at-home parents meeting friends for lunch in our bistro seating area, and other professionals who leave work a little early on Thursday just so they make it in time for our “golden hour” from 5-6 pm.
If you watch closely, you spot shoppers in a hurry, grabbing dinner before sports. Other people slow down when they arrive and take in the community atmosphere, the live music, and the beautiful weather.
2. What vendors can shoppers expect each week?
As a weekday market, we often have shorter lines and more product availability than weekend events. We curate a mix of consistent vendors and rotating participants to keep the experience fresh. Our 2025 lineup includes:
Core vendors: Fresh produce, dairy, meats, pickles, baked goods, breads, empanadas, ice cream, Italian ice, and coffee.
Part-time favorites: Lobster entrees, bao buns, lemonades, soups, salads, donuts, bubble tea, and candles.
Guest Appearances: Artisanal Pork & Beef Sausages, Mozzarella Based Entrees, Kimchi, Spirits (alcoholic), Charcuterie, Indian Foods & Spices, Argentinian Treats, Glazed Nuts, Kosher Foods, Kettle Corn, Dirty Sodas, Crochet Items, Bath & Body products, Jewelry, and more—with new vendors signing on each week.
3. Tell us a bit about the activities and features of the market (live music, children’s activities, etc.)?
We offer a rotating schedule of children’s activities, often themed or sponsored by local businesses. From balloon animals to mini golf (a 6-hole course created through an Eagle Scout project), we’re always finding ways to entertain families. Our pool of Duplo bricks is also becoming a bit of a market icon.
Our live music program adds to the ambiance, showcasing talent ranging from local teens to renowned musicians. One special highlight: Pascack Valley High School’s Chamber Jazz Band has performed alongside their musical director’s professional band. Some grads even formed their own group and returned to play during college breaks. It’s just another great perk to stopping by the market – and another way to make some memories in town.
4. Does the market offer sponsorship opportunities for local businesses?
We absolutely offer sponsorships to businesses and already have an impressive list of generous donors in the local area. We work closely with each sponsor to develop the best marketing strategy within our packages.
Next year, we are looking for some companies to exclusively sponsor our Live Music Program so that we can continue to host and pay local musicians every week for providing amazing musical programming to our community. As this is a new program, the initial sponsors will have some say in what the sponsor benefits look like.
5. Beyond being a great public space, how does the River Vale Farmers Market support local nonprofits?
We see the Farmer’s Market as more than a marketplace. It’s really a community hub. It’s a place where people in town regularly gather, and it provides an opportunity for local organizations to connect with Pascack Valley residents. When our non-profits attend our market, they are not charged a fee.
We have nurses who offer blood pressure screenings. We have trauma department teams that teach about hot topics in emergency rooms: bike safety, water safety, teen driving, and medicine dosage measuring – to name a few.
Spectrum for Living comes with arts and crafts created by clients and residents of the program – all proceeds go back to the artists individually.
Scouts pursuing Eagle Scout and Gold Awards come and fundraise for their projects, and/or table for awareness for their causes.
The River Vale Library does a spin-to-win activity while they promote their summer reading program and recruit volunteers for the Friends of the Library organization.
In the summer, one of our market dates is centered around a Bloodmobile drive with Vitalant. Our market vendors donate food item “treats” to be given to all blood donors that day. We are proud to say we collected 26 units of blood this year. It’s the best day for a foodie to sign up to save some lives!
We have two food banks that come occasionally to collect for their pantry: Helping Hand Food Pantry and St. Andrews Food Pantry. We also support the non-profit Table to Table, which works behind the scenes with some of our vendors to pick up overages of food that may be otherwise thrown away. They quickly distribute it to people with food insecurity.
We sometimes have special events for non-profits: we sold strawberry shortcakes for the RVVAC’s drive to get a new ambulance and we sold “picked and grilled the same day” corn on the cob last year – all money raised went to the Table to Table organization.
We are always open to figuring out more ways to support our local non-profits.
6. What new activities are coming to the market this fall?
Our market is full of incredible tastes and smells that encourage everyone to unpack their sweaters and embrace the season! You’ll find cider, hot chocolate, soups, corn, breads, pumpkins, apples, pies, spices, chai – so many flavors to warm your heart.
Some noteworthy things to look out for include pumpkin decorating, “be a wizard” tea making, henna for Diwali, balloon animals, face painting, grilled corn day, Halloween candy collections, and our famous “Thanksgiving Market” on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. If you want a farm-fresh turkey, talk to Farmer Greg in October!
7. What can shoppers expect from the market next year?
There’s no telling what next year will bring—and that’s part of the fun. With over 40 small businesses involved, the market constantly evolves. We stay flexible to meet our vendors’ needs and listen closely to what shoppers are loving. There is no way to predict what will be at the market next year, but there will be unpredictable things – there always is. That makes the market so exciting!
We do anticipate our customer community growing next year as our social media and marketing increased, our vendor list is larger, and we recently won Bergen Magazine’s 2025 Reader’s Choice Award in the Farmer’s Market category.
Overall, we’re proud to offer the variety of a weekend market—without the weekend crowds. We support our local non-profits and give local businesses exposure in a balanced way that doesn’t take away from the market atmosphere. We love a theme, a gimmick, incredible photos of products (taken by us or our customers), and comments and follows on Instagram! You can absolutely expect to see those next year.
For the latest updates, visit rivervalenj.org/page/farmers-market or follow @rivervalefarmersmarket on Instagram and the official Township of River Vale Facebook page. If you are interested in discussing sponsoring the market or the Live Music Program in 2026, please email culturalaffairs@rivervalenj.org.