Josh's Farmers Market Finally Has a Permanent Pumpkin Lot, and This Is Its First Fall There

The pumpkins, mums and fall décor at Josh's Farmers Market will stay out on the lot through October 31, the same as most years. This year they sit next to a 6,700-square-foot indoor market on about four acres beside the Lowe's YMCA in Mooresville. The market bought that parcel from the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, and it isn't going anywhere in a few months.

That change affects the fall more than any other season. For six years the market ran on temporary permits and had to pack up every few months. A fall lot was the kind of setup that could disappear when a permit ran out. Now it's the outdoor half of a store that is open seven days a week at 142 Joe V Knox Avenue. When the pumpkins are gone, the market will still be there.

Six Years on Temporary Permits

Owner Josh Graham told WCNC the business had moved seven times. The cause was a zoning problem. The market didn't fit any of the town's existing zoning classifications, so it could only run on temporary permits, and those forced a move every few months. At one temporary site, the town cited the business for routine gravel maintenance.

Community support for the market grew, and in 2024 Mooresville amended its zoning ordinance to create a designation for permanent open-air agricultural markets. That category is what made the Joe V Knox Avenue site possible. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte partnered on the project.

The opening took longer than planned. When the YMCA announced the partnership in September 2025, it projected a spring 2026 opening. The market's own timeline marks June 26, 2026 as "Home Sweet Home." LKN Magazine's August 1 cover story said the market had been open since late June. It described the big red barn and the American flags out front.

WCNC covered a separate grand-opening celebration weekend. Graham said he hadn't expected the crowds over those three days. "People were willing to come in here and stand shoulder-to-shoulder, and no one was getting aggravated," he said, and one customer told him it felt "like one big family reunion."

What the Building Adds to the Pumpkin Lot

The market started with two brothers selling homegrown cantaloupes on Williamson Road. Today it sells produce, dairy, weekly ice cream flavors, seafood, baked goods, and Amish and Mennonite furniture, all under one roof. In October, the indoor and outdoor sides work together. Here's what's inside this fall:

• Fall produce. The market lists apples, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, pears and cooking greens as its fall produce.
• Bakery. Pumpkin pies, apple turnovers and cinnamon items are on the fall bakery list. The in-house bakers are Jayme, Zoey and Hannah. Jayme used to own Troutman Baking Co.
• Bread from local bakers. The bread shelf carries Olde Brick Breads, Dee's Gluten Free, Marcus Bread Co., Bake Two Bake, Rooted Bakery, Lake Norman Sourdough and Deb's Sourdough Bread.
• Dairy. Milk and dairy come from Lutheridge Dairy Farm in Mount Ulla and Homestead Creamery in Burnt Chimney, Virginia.
• Ice cream. The flavor list posted for the week of September 28 included pumpkin. Flavors change weekly, so check what's in the case when you visit.
• Coffee. Bean Catcher runs a counter inside the market. LKN Magazine singled out its iced "Graham Slam," made with chocolate, caramel and hazelnut.

LKN Magazine counted more than 40 local vendors in the building. With bread, dairy, coffee and pie inside, the pumpkin lot is now one stop on a longer visit.

Hours, and What's Still Unannounced

LKN Magazine listed the hours in August as 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The market's website says it's open seven days a week but doesn't post daily hours. Before you plan around a late weekday visit, call (980) 635-8140 to confirm.

The longer weekday hours are useful in October. A Tuesday stop after work gives you most of the evening, while weekend hours end at 5. If the August schedule still holds, a weekday is when you'll have the most time on the lot before the light goes.

LKN Magazine also reported that the Fall Festival would return this fall, but no date had been published when we wrote this. The market posts updates on Instagram and Facebook, which are the places to check. With the outdoor season ending October 31, any festival would have to happen in the next few weeks.

After October 31

In past years, the end of a season could also mean the next move. This year the pumpkins and mums come off the lot after Halloween, and the indoor market stays open. Fall produce like winter squash and sweet potatoes keeps longer than the lot's dates suggest. Bread, dairy and coffee don't depend on the season.

So this is the first fall when the market's season and its location aren't tied together. Graham described the earlier years as stressful, with "times when I thought it was never going to happen." The permanent building turns the September-to-Halloween lot into a regular season you can plan on each year at the same address.

Hope Park in October

Hope Park is next door. The Town of Mooresville lists it at 170 Joe Knox Boulevard as a two-acre municipal park with a playground and a splash pad. A local family-activities guide describes the playground as a large community-built play area and lists a shelter, restrooms, benches, fencing and parking.

Families visiting this month should know the splash pad is closed. The town runs it free each day from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., so in October the playground is what's open. A simple order for an October afternoon with kids:

1. Start at Hope Park while the kids still have energy, and leave the splash-pad towels at home.
2. Walk over to the market lot to pick out pumpkins and mums.
3. Go inside for a Bean Catcher drink and something from the bakery case.
4. Grab bread and dairy on the way out so the pumpkins go in the car last.

For more fall plans in Mooresville, our guide to Lake Norman State Park's trail direction this year covers the Itusi Trail system six miles north of town. Our Mooresville neighborhood page covers the rest of town.

Josh's Farmers Market spent six years looking for a permanent spot in Mooresville, and we've followed the story the same way we follow every corner of Lake Norman. If you're curious what a permanent address of your own in Mooresville is worth, Foster Rojahn Premier Properties can help. Request a Free Home Valuation & Consultation and talk with a broker-owner who knows the area.