Point Reyes Farmers Market Marks 30 Years with a Changing Vendor Lineup

"This will be a homecoming," Andy Naja-Riese told the Point Reyes Light back in May, describing the anniversary event planned for the Point Reyes Farmers Market's 30th season. Naja-Riese runs the Agricultural Institute of Marin, the nonprofit that has operated the market outside Toby's Feed Barn since it started.

The market's 30-year run includes changes in the faces behind the folding tables. The address and the organization behind it have lasted three decades, and this year's anniversary marked that milestone.

What Opening Day Looked Like

The market's 30th season opened in early May 2026 with what the Point Reyes Light described as a low-key morning. Dancing Crow Vineyards poured tastes for early risers. Mr. Dim Sum served its usual lineup of dumplings. And Rodriguez Organic Ranch stood as the only produce vendor on site, offering organic vegetables and berries.

Two stands from the prior season didn't show up. Hot Asian Fusion, known for pad thai and curries, sat the season out because of staffing problems, and according to the paper's reporting wasn't expected to return at all in 2026. Kinoko Japanese Home Cooking, a market regular making rice bowls and rice balls from local produce and meat, was absent on opening day too, though it was expected back by June.

Of the five vendors named in the opening-day account, two had appeared the prior season but were absent on opening day. Hot Asian Fusion was not expected to return during 2026, while Kinoko Japanese Home Cooking was expected back by June. The vendor lineup can change from season to season and during the season.

What Has Remained Consistent

Several features have remained consistent over the market's 30 years. The market has always set up around the front of Toby's Feed Barn, a building that functions as both the market's physical home and a landmark in its own right, its parking lot carrying a mural of community members. The Agricultural Institute of Marin has run it the entire time, handling the certified organic standards, the CalFresh and WIC acceptance, and the on-site ATM that keeps a cash-first Saturday morning functional.

A few vendors have carved out something closer to permanence within that structure. Beffa Springs Ranch holds the distinction of being the market's exclusive source for beef and lamb, meaning if you want that particular ranch's meat at a farmers market, this is the only one that carries it. Osteria Stellina's grilled cheese stand, known simply by the letters GBD for Golden, Brown, Delicious, has become enough of a fixture that outside food writers reliably describe it: Brickmaiden bread dipped in Straus Creamery butter, folded around Cowgirl Creamery cheese. Those are the closest things the market has to institutions within the institution.

The weekly lineup can vary with staffing, weather, and harvest timing. Over the market's 30 years, vendors and offerings have changed, and the opening-day account is one snapshot of the current season.

The 30th Anniversary Event

The anniversary event took place on May 30. Organizers invited "current and previous farmers market participants and staff" to gather for a group photo in front of Toby's Feed Barn at 10 a.m. The celebration also included a DIY strawberry shortcake stand built from Fireswamp, Rodriguez Brothers Ranch, and Straus Creamery.

What This Means If You Shop the Market Regularly

Vendor lineups can change from season to season, so regular shoppers may find these points useful:

• A favorite stand from last year may be absent this season; Hot Asian Fusion was not expected to return in 2026.
• Kinoko Japanese Home Cooking was expected to return in June after missing opening day.
• Check the closing date each year rather than assuming it repeats. Marin's own visitor calendar has listed the 2026 season closing on different dates across different postings, some pointing to late September, others to mid-October. The differing dates make it useful to check the calendar for the current season.
• Osteria Stellina's grilled cheese and Beffa Springs Ranch's exclusive meat counter are two recurring options to look for on Saturdays.

Thirty Years at One Address

In November 2005, Prince Charles and Camilla made an unannounced stop at the market during a Bay Area visit, a detail that has followed the market's reputation ever since. The address and the institution running it have outlasted three decades of individual vendors coming and going.

That's a version of longevity worth understanding if you're spending your Saturdays at Toby's Feed Barn: 30 years at one address, with individual vendors coming and going.

If Point Reyes Station's rhythms, the Saturday market, the walk down Highway 1, the way a 30-year institution can still feel new every summer, are part of what's drawing you to this stretch of West Marin, B.G. Bates has spent decades reading these towns from the inside. Begin your West Marin story and connect with B.G. Bates.