The soft — and early — opening of this year’s Ironton Farmers Market was quiet, but filled with enthusiastic vendors looking forward to the expansion into crafts and other products that has been planned for the weekly event.

Products brought to market on Saturday at its permanent headquarters on South Second Street ranged from locally-produced honey to chocolate zucchini bread, along with some new faces as far as vendors.

One of those first timers was Becky Wiseman of Pedro, who besides the homemade bread, brought a variety of jams and jellies of interesting combinations such as strawberry and honey jelly.

“When the strawberries come in again, I’m going to make my strawberry-banana jam,” Wiseman said. “Someone told me it tastes like a smoothie and it does.”

She appreciates the opportunity to find a new place to sell her homemade items.

“It gives the community a chance to buy fresh, homegrown produce and baked goods,” Wiseman said.

Also new to the market were Greg and Emily Compton of Franklin Furnace who brought their Macie’s Bakery goods. Usually the Comptons will spend their weekends selling at flea markets, but decided to try out the Ironton location

“This is a nice set up and well-organized,” Greg Compton said.

A regular at the Farmers Market is Margaret Reid, who was selling a variety of honey products from her Reid Apiary at Wilgus.

Reid, who got into the bee business 38 years ago with an order for the buzzing insects from a Sears & Roebuck catalogue, is also president of the Lawrence County Farm Bureau. The farm bureau is throwing its support toward the expanded venture.

“We agreed to try to have produce down here,” she said. “I think this will truly be a real Farmers Market. A place where people produce their own goods and bring them to the public.”