Timothy Christian sorts through a box of fresh leafy greens as he prepares for holiday shoppers at the 17th Street Farmers’ Market in Shockoe Bottom. Similar markets have sprouted in the Richmond area, but this market is the oldest. It has been a public gathering place since 1737, five years before Richmond was incorporated as a town. The site was designated as a “public market” in 1779, just a year before Richmond was officially named the state capital and three years before Richmond was designated an independent city. The city is to give the market area a facelift to create a more European-style plaza.
