It began as an idea to help Harpenden’s residents source more sustainable food options, everyday essentials and gifts as we emerged from a year of lockdowns. Five years after the team first pitched gazebos on Harpenden Common, the Harpenden Sustainability Market is a valuable hub, having helped over one hundred businesses and more than forty charities and community organisations showcase their products and services, network with like-minded businesses and connect with conscious consumers.
For many stallholders, the market has become the start of an exciting business journey. Some have gone on to secure regular pitches at the Harpenden Farmers’ Market or the Satsuma Indoor Makers Market. Others have expanded online, setting up shops on platforms like Not on the High Street. But one of the results that the market team is most proud of is that many of the businesses that first met on the common are now collaborating in ways they hadn’t imagined when the market launched five years ago.
Familiar faces
Sonya and the team from Jefferson Eco have been familiar faces at the market since 2021, selling reusables for the home made from fabric that would have otherwise gone to landfill. In 2024, they took a big step forward, opening for business at 46 London Road in St Albans. The ground floor is dedicated to eco-focused products from small Hertfordshire businesses – including Sustainability Market stallholders Tommy and Lottie, Edgy Threads, SO Natural Cosmetics, Shoddy Threads, Phase Out Plastic, Cara Josephine Designs, My Refill Life, Zen Soul Studio, Mighty Eve and Robert’s Workshop. The first floor is home to another market favourite, The Green House, an eco-hub where local residents can learn about how to reduce their carbon footprint and help promote biodiversity in their area.
My Refill Life is another of the market’s big success stories. Founder Viviana launched her business at the market and has since grown it into a local closed-loop delivery service, supplying refill products across Harpenden. Today, she is too busy delivering to her regular customers to join the market, and her range includes products from past and present market stallholders, including SO Natural, Jefferson Eco, unpckd, and Reswirl.Â
Delicious vegan food
Over the past year, the market has also delighted stallholders and visitors alike with a range of hot food and drink options, including award-winning vegan Thai food, locally roasted artisan coffee, vegan bakes and treats and Indian cuisine. Visitors planning to cook later enjoy browsing The Saucy Sisters’ range of sauces and dips and Eat Whole Foods’ organic fruit, nuts and pulses as popular ukulele band The ReVerbs plays cheerfully in the background.
The market isn’t just about businesses. Local environmental organisations such as Sustainable St Albans, the RSPB and the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust regularly join the market to talk to residents, recruit volunteers and build momentum for local action.
Set on the leafy Harpenden Common, in front of Park Hall, the Sustainability Market provides a relaxed, welcoming setting for stallholders to meet new customers and be part of a thriving community. If you’re a local eco-conscious business or organisation we’d love you to join us. Find out more and apply on our stallholder information page or email us at markets@sustainablestalbans.org. Who knows where it might lead?
The 2026 Harpenden Sustainability Markets will take place on 15th March, 17th May, 20th September and 15th November (our Christmas Sustainability Market), from 10am to 3pm on the tree-lined area of Harpenden Common. The markets are run by Sustainable St Albans in partnership with Harpenden Town Council.