Rooted In Local
Long Family Markets creates community-centered marketplaces that connect people directly with local farmers, food producers, artisan makers and other microbusinesses.
What began as one small farmers market in 2015 has grown into something larger: a family of marketplaces, community programs and agricultural education initiatives built around strengthening local connections and creating opportunities for microbusinesses and entrepreneurs to grow.
Our Story
Long Family Markets began in 2015 with one farmers market and a belief that local businesses deserve meaningful opportunities to connect directly with their communities. Over the years, those relationships have shaped what we have become: two weekly farmers markets in Stafford and Woodbridge, special community markets, a nonprofit foundation and a growing commitment to agricultural education, local entrepreneurship and community participation.
Who We Are
Long Family Markets is a family-owned and operated organization rooted in Northern Virginia. What we build reflects the values we bring to the work every day: hard work, reliability, fairness, strong relationships and a genuine commitment to leaving our community better than we found it.
Meet The Family Behind Long Family Markets
Robin Long, a former participating business owner at North Stafford Farmers Market, founded Long Family Markets in 2015 and still runs it hands-on, from choosing participating businesses to planning events and managing every post on our social media. She is a passionate advocate for microbusinesses and the author of the Stories From the Soil™ children’s books and Food Guides, published through Long Family Press. In 2026, Robin was appointed to the National Farmers Market Panel, where she helps shape the future of farmers markets across the country.
Les Long, our Chief Operations Officer, is Robin’s husband and partner in the work. He oversees market-day setup and teardown, logistics, participating business support, and maintenance and operations at the Stafford marketplace, and he keeps things running smoothly every market day. With so many businesses driving in and out, Les is the reason traffic in the marketplace is always simpler than it should be.
Elizabeth Long is part owner of Long Family Markets and owner of Sugar & Pop, a participating business in our marketplace. To keep things fair for every business we work with, Elizabeth is intentionally not involved in day-to-day operations or decision-making. She does join our quarterly board meetings, where her perspective as a seller helps inform our strategic planning.
Together, we built Long Family Markets on a simple idea: when you know the people behind your food, your whole community grows stronger.
Pictured here: Les, Robin and Elizabeth Long with MJ, Sunday and Manley at the Long Family Fortress. Photo by Karen Presecan, M.Photog., CPP.
