The town of Nelson is blossoming with new businesses such as Peaks Coffee, Route 20 Sofa Company and Spruce Ridge Landscape and Garden Center and, a short distance up the hill, 20|EAST is adding to the local synergy with monthly night markets and the recent addition of a monthly food truck visit.

20|EAST is a business cooperative that includes Cazenovia Cut Block production and showroom, the Cazenovia Community Fitness Center run by Marla Velky-Reger and Meghan Kelly and a locally sourced Farm Store. The night market concept was recently added to the location on a monthly basis. Tents are raised, live music is played, local food is prepared, spirits are poured and vendors share their wares to the community. There are only two left this season.

The Sept. 21 market will also be an art reception for Alyson Markell. Markell is a local, monotype artist with famous movies on her resume, including: “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Terminator,” to name a few. Her work will be featured on the fall cover of New York Horse Magazine.

The Oct. 26 market will be a fundraiser for In My Father’s Kitchen, a pasta sauce that is sold to raise money to feed the homeless.

In addition to the Farm Store, 20|EAST hosts a monthly winter farmer’s market. This year the location will move to the greenhouse at Spruce Ridge in Nelson. The market will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  on the first Saturday of each month, November through April.

The community has been asking for food trucks, and 20|EAST is answering this request. Stockyard Barbeque of Morrisville will begin coming monthly on Sept. 15. They will smoke their food on site and serve from 11 a.m. until dinner. People may call ahead, take out or eat here. The food is all made from scratch and most meals can be made gluten free. Tortilla Jacks, a Mexican food truck, will be added to the schedule soon.