What you have here is an overpriced supermarket in disguise as a roadside market. I'm a local, and I should know better, but we stopped one day on our way back to the beach - if you want produce shipped in from who knows where at double the price as food lion... this is the place for you. Please tourists... stop going. *edit - Got contacted by the owner too - hey bud, you want to stop the bad reviews, change your entire philosophy from tourist trap to solid value and signs that say what's actually from local farms... you know, like a farmers market is supposed to be. Otherwise you are just cashing in as a fraud. Tarheel II at Milepost 5 is a great place for cheap produce, and the owner will happily tell you where it's from. There's also a real local farmers market on Sundays at Milepost 4 in the same strip center as "I got your crabs". read more

Stopped at Powell's on my way out of OBX. The website said they opened at 7 AM and we arrived at 6:49. People were already working so I jumped out of the car eager to buy 4 boxes of peaches. I was rudely greeted by the owner's sister who snapped at me and said We're not open!! And won't be for another 30 minutes!!! Mind you it was almost 7. My mood changed drastically. Instead of 4 boxes I took four baskets!! The only redeeming factor of Powell's was Jenna who came to my car and told me she had my peaches ready for me at 7. Never again will I give a dime to Powell's. Grandy's will be our spot for fresh produce. PS port-a-johns are about as sweet as the owner's sister. read more

We seem to make this mistake every year we go down to the OBX. Probably because Powell's is the first farm stand we encounter on the way. Next year, we have to remind ourselves to have a little patience. The produce was pretty poor quality - I'm really not even sure it was local. The bucket of peaches (we discovered later) had a bunch of brown mushy spots on them - no wonder the sign says don't pick through the buckets. The blackberries "on sale" were so covered with bugs that I just passed. It seems none of their jams/jellies are made locally - are they even made with local fruit? The Powell's-labeled blackberry bread? Made in Georgia. The young girls checking us out were rude. Just a bad experience. Keep on going down the road. read more

This place is extremely over priced and not everything is local. The staff has horrible attitudes and the service is terrible. We asked if our son could use the restroom. We were given a stern "NO!" with no explination or sympathy. The girl working looked annoyed and looked like she didn't want to be there much less help anyone. There are rude signs posted all over this place telling the customer not to do this or that, don't leave children unattended, baskets located under the produce tables are not for shopping, no playing with toys, etc. Who ever is managing this place clearly hates their job and has no business sense. Its sad because its rubbing off on the staff as well. This was my second time at this place, both times were bad experiences. We will not be returning, next time we will keep driving and suggest others to do the same. Not worth the stop! read more

If I could give this place zero stars I definitely would. From the overpriced fruits and vegetables to the unfriendly staff that works there I definitely will never come back to this establishment. Nobody greater you when you came in and not friendly when you got to the register. NEVER EVER AGAIN. read more

Absolutely horrible. No fresh produce. All shipped in. Service unfriendly. Hope everyone stays away. Bought cookies wrapped like freshbAked and they were rigor from chips ahoy. awful read more

I had the unfortunate occasion to meet the owner of Powells market today. She was one of the nastiest ladies I've met in a very long time. I will not be returning to Powells market. Don't get sucked in by this place. There are many better options down the road. read more

Keep driving down the road to Morris Farm Market. The stuff at Powells is more expensive, and their jams and syrups they sell at Powells has an inch of dust on the bottles. How can you sell a jar of jam for $7 that looks like its been sitting on the shelf for over a year? I "love" how they have a little monitor lady sitting at their sample table too with a sign that says "this is not a buffet". lol... hmmmm excuse me while I get in my car and drive a few more miles to the best farmers market. read more

Wanted to buy a watermelon, asked the checkout girl why she drew a a smiley face on the melon. She replied they did this on the melons and if I didn't like it I could leave it. I put my money back and left. If this is supposed to stop me from shoplifting, ok, but why be rude about it. read more

I had the pleasure of visiting with friends for a super enjoyable afternoon of shooting sporting clays. I definitely plan on visiting again. We were treated with great hospitality from start to finish. I do not know of an equal or better range within several hours drive from the Tidewater area. If you think you are good with skeet, you should challenge yourself and make it a point to visit. I have to chuckle when I read some of the other reviews that do not give this family credit for what they do. Those that believe all produce is available all year around and everything grows locally just show their ignorance. They will keep eating fruit and vegetables that were picked before their peek and we keep enjoying the best. We should all thank our farmers for so abundantly feeding our nation and recognize them for their hard work. read more

I do not often write reviews but felt the need after I stopped there today. The produce was priced much too high, some was not fresh and there was no ability to select what produce you wanted to buy. On top of that, we saw strawberries in the back in Driscoll containers which solidified that this is an overpriced grocery store. The worst thing however was buying a peanut tart/dessert which supposedly listed the ingredients. I asked at the counter about ingredients because my child has a wheat allergy and was rudely told that the ingredients listed were all that was included. After purchasing it and my daughter eating a few bites, she asked me about the bottom of it which looked like a pie crust (it was hidden in the foil wrapper so I didn't originally see it). I called Powell's and the lady on phone told me it did include wheat. I should have known better but after asking two people before purchasing, I trusted what I was told. High costs, rude workers and flippantly speaking to ingredients/potential allergies without knowledge are all reasons to take my business elsewhere next time:( The reason I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 is because the lady on the phone did seem apologetic about the situation and said it would be addressed. I hope they learn from this situation. read more

Typical tourist trap. Got us too. Wish I had yelped it before we stopped. Banana was dry. Nectarine hard and dry. Grapes sour. What a way to start a vacation read more

The prices were really the reason I'm not giving more stars. I purchased some jams and baked goods (strawberry fritters were good but a bit on the dry side) as well as some local (or so the sign said) sweet onions. Just really expensive. There are plenty of other markets that have actual local produce at a much better price. read more

Great food great staff great locations ... Although you have to ask where the produce comes from because most of the time it is NOT local!

Over priced!! And the fruits and veggies sit outside in the heat and they spoil. I paid over $30 a couple weeks ago and didn't bring much and the little I did bring home, it was spoiled with in 2 days. My tomato had a black spot the following day and it wasn't there the day I bought it. The watermelon had no taste. And the corn had no taste. Maybe there was flavor before it sat out in the heat but it didn't have any when I bought it read more

Decided to stop on our way to visit friends. Except for the butter beans which are hard to find (but WAY to high priced) everything else could have been bought at the grocery store for half the price. They were taking strawberries from California and putting them in boxes that made them look local. Won't stop again. read more

Had to add: made peach crisp with fresh peaches from Powells - OH MY DANG! Worth every calorie!!!

Best cantaloupe and watermelon this season! Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Powell! I'll stop by every time I head down south.

Like another customer previously stated, we saw an employee taking Driscoll's strawberries (not even organic) and repackaging them to make it seem like they were local. The peaches were cold and this is an outdoor market, meaning they'd been refrigerated. You don't refrigerate peaches. Save your money and go buy organic produce at the grocery store - you'll be paying half of what you would at Powell's and at least what you get at the store will be fresh. read more

We stopped on the way down to Duck, NC to buy local fruit and veggies. Their prices are OUTRAGEOUS. Save time and money and keep driving.

Well they do a great job at sucking you in. There were multiple big, welcoming, and fun signs along the road for miles to encourage drivers to stop. We were excited to buy some things on our way to the beach but were sorely disappointed. The employees were unfriendly and not helpful. When I asked about rhubarb I was answered with, "what? what is that? Never heard of it." We spent over $70 dollars and the girl ringing us up barely said a word to us. We bought two pies (an apple pie and a coconut pie) - neither of which was very good. We bought some fruit and that wasn't bad but I was really disappointed with the jar of strawberry jam - it was $7.99 and tasted like sugar jello...on closer examination it says "packed especially for Powell's Roadside Market" which explains a lot. Awful. We will not be going here again. read more

Will NEVER be back. All of the negative reviews are absolutely true! We unfortunately stopped this past weekend & were shocked at the prices. We did purchase a loaf of apple bread and it was the worst bread any of us had ever tasted. Dry & stale with no flavor. At almost $8. a loaf, I was tempted to return it & warn other customers. There was no date to be found on it. Was probably a month old. This place IS a sham and is an embarrassment to the Outer Banks. Stop at Morrison's instead! read more

Not sure why this place has had bad reviews in the past. I have been going down to OBX for years and we love Powell's. They have always treated us kind and service has been great. We love it! read more

We were not impressed. We were there for about 10 minutes. Bought a tiny basket of peaches, some grapes and a small bag of peanuts. My wife asked the unsmiling cashier to weigh the peaches and she did. They were just a hair over 7 lbs. They were advertised as weighing between 7-10 lbs. My wife felt that the peaches were a bit pricey for their weight and said as much. The cashier smirked at my wife and proceeded to explain that each peach had a differ weight. Thus the varying weights between baskets. Of course there are signs disallowing the removal of peaches from one basket to the other. After spending $33.00 on those three items, we made our getaway. Our intent is to never set foot on the property again. read more

We stop here often and I read the sign showing which fruits and vegetables are local before I shop and they're always fresh and delicious. The staff has always been friendly and helpful. read more

Great market! Definitely recommend stopping by, the employees are extremely helpful and can assist with anything you need.

Its a nice little stop . Way over priced!! Had my children with me so I bit the bullet and let them get some fruit and fudge. well upon better looking of receipt they over charged me ( my mistake) cant prove it now as that was Saturday and today is Monday. They charges me 14.99 twice for fudge. It should of only been once. I agree with some other reviews they have signs do not go thru buckets, do not do this, do not do that everyone want the best looking fruit and vegges so for the price they charge you should be able to pick. A little picky for a fruit stand. I would NOT stop here again. read more

I was really surprised at how nice this roadside market was. The fresh picked corn was tender and sweet. The carolina style barbecue was delicious. I also got a bucket of peaches, and they were so rich and lush I had to pace myself eating them. Powell's is a family business and the people there are generous and thoughtful. The produce selection is great and the quality is outstanding. Well worth the trip from Virginia Beach. read more

I live down on OBX island and have passed this "market" several times coming back from Virginia but have never stopped. This time, I did because of the horrible peaches I had from the supermarket (that rotted before they ripened), and was craving a fresh, juicy peach! It was in September, so they had peaches (with a lot of everything else), including watermelons. I found I could not really afford the peaches, which looked and smelled delicious but were in baskets of $20.00 each (about 50 baskets) just sitting there with no one else shopping - I was the only customer at that time until one other car drove in. I walked to the back and picked some peaches out of the barrels (4) and one tomato. The peaches were delicious, but that is all I could afford. I was just wondering at what point you can drive by and actually buy the peaches on sale before they go bad? Everything looked delicious but the average person would have to spend $100.00 to just get a few things. I did not see strawberries. I did not buy a watermelon, which was only $3.00 but I did not want to get one without being able to try a piece first. After I paid, I asked where the "restrooms" were and was told loud and clear that "porta-potties" are in the back. The signs say, "we have restrooms and dogs are welcome". I did not want to use a porta-potty so I left, but really, it was a little demeaning. I had no idea they did not grow any of this stuff because it is in front of fields and fields and a whole mile of signs and fields, so who am I supporting? I wanted to support the local farmers. Next year I will try Morris' roadside, which is just down the road when heading south. Powell's comes up first so they get more business I suppose. read more

I wish I could give this place no stars. I called them to ask when they closed and they told me 7:00. After driving 45 minutes from the beach I arrived at 6:45 and began to look around. When I went to checkout the old female(will not go so far as to call her a lady) told me that they were closed because it was 6:55. I told her I called and they said 7. She said they'd been here since 6 and were leaving. The owner of this place must be a saint because this lady should never have a job in customer service. She was extremely rude. I will never waste my time on this place again. read more

Their produce is anything but local, bought an onion with a Peru sticker. Grocery store produce at farm stand prices. Steer clear, wait for Grandy's up the road. read more

Completely unimpressed. The people who work here are unpleasant and rude. They don't smile and when you engage with them in polite conversation they treat you like they are annoyed you are there. Their produce is average but priced above average. This is a shame because I've been coming to the OBX for over 20 years and it's been a tradition to stop on our way in and get fresh produce and fudge. It's been several years since we stopped by Powells as we have tried the other fresh market down the road from them (who are wonderful BTW). We won't be going back to Powells. read more

My family had stopped there on Saturday and decided to try their hot pickled eggs when we got home I ate about 3 and now for the past 2 days I've had a terrible feeling in my stomach and cannot get out of bed I'm going to the doctor today to get checked out I'm supposed to on the beach having fun but instead I'm in bed suffering, oh and I called Powell's to ask about the eggs and to see if they had any previous problems but they laughed at me so my advice is not to go there especially if they don't take the possibility of food poisoning or seriously... read more

Zero stars if I could rate it. This was our 3rd time to OBX but never stopped at Powells before. What we were thinking. Produce not to good and outrageous prices. One watermelon , 4 apples, 6 peaches , 4 potatoes ,5 oranges, 4 ears of corn ,bunch of aspergas and $7 of fudge. The $7 fudge is important to this review. I watched as the girl rang up the items and notice $7 twice and questioned that she had rung up the fudge twice. She looked at the receipt and said she had not . Ok , then she says $59 for the total . I was somewhat shocked but when your vacation, you try not think so much. So I paid. I grabbed the receipt and walked to the car reading it and there it was $7 twice. I went back to counter pissed off and when I questioned the second $7 charge , the cashier stated it was tax. Tax ,......what tax and what percent. I was so pissed off that I just walked away mad and confused. I tried to look up if there is tax on food in N.C but it was not clear. It just ruined my first day of vacation . I am not cheap but I don't like to get ripped off. This place preys on people going on vacation in a bad way . I don't mind paying for something that is worth it . Stay away if you don't want to ruin your day. Go to supermarkets on the island for better deals and quality. read more

Stopped by on the way to Outer Banks of course. Tomatoes and grapes were ok but 3 bags of boiled peanuts had fuzzy mold on them within 2 days and I went to pick the cantaloupe up the next day to cut it and my hand went thru it. read more

I can't say where their produce comes from this early in the season, and I don't really care if it is local or not, it's about the quality. I happened to see all of the bill boards on my way down 168 and told my wife on the way back that we would stop in. We were not disappointed with the cantaloupe, tomatoes and watermelon, it was all good! I will definitely stop there again when I'm in the neighborhood. read more

I have been dealing with Powell's Market for 3-4 years now and have never had a bad experience there. Their fudge is the best. The staff are helpful and courteous. I love the fact that they have locally produced honey. Good people!! read more

Very rude signs everywhere that tell you don't do this, don't do that. Don't shuck the corn. This is not a buffet. I bought four ears of corn - could only eat 1 - the other three were rotten inside. Of course I didn't shuck the corn because if I did, I wouldn't have bought it. Bought cucumbers, most were bad after two days. Bought some tomatoes, ditto, after two days could not eat them due to mold. Very expensive too. read more

I'm not sure about all these reviews from northern virginia... If you would rather have produce that has sat around for days and help big business drive farmers in to the ground - go shop at wal mart! I stopped by powells produce stand after shooting at the owner's sporting clay course (most fun I have had in a LONG time) and found the prices to be reasonable. Growing up around farms, I know that you can't grow everything, everywhere, all the time, so yeah, some stuff is brought in - totally understandable for a family run small business. I ended up trying the bbq sandwich (great NC style) and walking away with a bucket of peaches and 1/3 bushel of corn. The peaches were ripe, juicy, and delicious, and the corn fresher and more tender than anything you will ever find in a store. The staff was very friendly to me and the owners were a pleasure to meet. I can't wait to go shooting again and will gladly make the drive to stock up on fresh produce in between trips and support this family business. read more

RUDE RUDE RUDE is all I can say! Signs everywhere telling you what NOT to do. "this is not a buffet", "children MUST be supervised", "this is NOT self serve", etc. I couldn't believe the sign by the corn, "Corn is parched, but still good". The corn was MOLDY!!! I can't believe they even attempted to sell this trash. Also, the woman behind the cash register is nasty. My mother had a large basket with produce as well as a watermelon. She set the watermelon on the counter. She got chastised by this women telling her NOT to set produce on the counter. My mother told her she was getting ready to pay and the women continued to bitch under her breath. I really wish that we had left our produce there and walked away. It was not worth the nasty attitude. I'm sure these people get tons of yuppy people from Northern VA, but this is no way to treat customers. We will not be returning. Ever. read more