A day in the life of … Chris Vera

BY CATHY MOLITORIS

It’s a wonder if Chris Vera ever sleeps, but if he does, chances are he’s dreaming about Columbia. The lifelong resident wears many hats – manager of the Columbia Market House, curator of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society, chair of the Zion Hill Cemetery restoration project, among others – but the common thread in everything he does is his fondness for the town. “I love the history of Columbia,” Chris said. “I love the way the town has always been sort of an outcast, but we’re self-sufficient and that’s what made Columbia what it is. We’re people who don’t mind dirt under their fingernails, who work hard and who have a lot of community pride.”

We all have the same 24 hours in a day to accomplish things, but somehow Chris makes it seem possible to do more than most people. His typical day begins at 5:30 a.m., when he rises to help his wife, Pamela, who has had progressive multiple sclerosis for more than a dozen years. Now paralyzed by the disease, Pamela relies on Chris to be her full-time caregiver, a job he does with love for the woman he married 27 years ago. “I get her out of bed, dress her, help her get everything she needs to start her day,” Chris stated. “I get her breakfast, tea, her Bible and anything else she needs for the day.”

By 8:30 a.m., Chris heads to the Columbia Market House – unless it’s a Saturday, when the market is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. On those days, he gets up at 4:30 a.m. and arrives at the market by 6:30 a.m. He jumps right into the day ahead, whether that’s working on marketing and social media posts for the market, restocking toilet paper in the bathrooms, performing maintenance and repair on the building or its stands or strategizing how to continue to build market traffic.

Chris was hired as market manager in July of 2022, and the role is close to his heart. “My mother was the market manager from 2005 to 2010,” he said of his mom, Renae Sears. “This is my mother’s legacy, and I want to honor that legacy.” He’s proud of the work he’s done expanding the market’s offerings, which now include international food options such as Brazilian chocolates and Cuban sauces and guacamole, as well as Cambodian, Hispanic and Jamaican food. In total, 16 vendors currently fill the market, selling everything from Amish-made baked goods and Lancaster County deli meats and cheeses to fresh flowers, soft pretzels and handmade knitted items.

Chris estimates he spends upwards of 60 hours a week on market business. “My goal when I first got here was to target all these small towns around us and encourage people to come into this little market and see what we have,” he remarked. Along with expanding the food offerings, Chris encouraged vendors to share the commercial kitchen on-site. “Everything is made fresh and on location,” he said.

Even though the market is only open one day a week, as well as on Fourth Fridays in Columbia, managing it is a more than full-time job for Chris. He works hard to set up private events ranging from rehearsal dinners and baby showers to birthday parties, drawing visitors from as far away as Bucks and Perry counties. “I like to think outside the box,” Chris commented, noting that he’s always dreaming up new ways to promote the market.

Along with his job at the market, Chris curates the collection at the Columbia Historic Preservation Society. He’s currently in the process of tearing down last year’s exhibit and installing a new one on Columbia’s military history, which will be ready for the museum’s opening in mid-April. He’s working on changing the scope of the museum to feature more model trains. “I’d like to put an O-gauge downstairs,” he stated, noting that it would be a nice complement to the Columbia and Susquehanna Model Railroad layout that operates on the second floor.

Chris also serves as the chair of the Zion Hill Cemetery restoration project, working to preserve the site where multiple Black soldiers and Civil War veterans are buried. He’s in the process of ordering informational panels about these veterans as well as residents of the Tow Hill neighborhood in Columbia, a Black neighborhood populated in the early 1800s by escaped or freed slaves.

On a typical day, Chris wraps up his official workday by 5 p.m. “That’s usually when my wife is calling me to come home,” he said. He helps get her to bed by 7 p.m., and then he finds time to unwind, sort of. “I don’t eat dinner, but I relax with a good IPA beer,” he shared. He’ll turn on the TV, but it isn’t long before his mind returns to the market or any of the other projects he’s working on. “I’ll have my laptop open while the TV is on, and I’ll work for a few more hours, maybe on the schedule of events coming up for the Market House,” he explained. Or, he might be planning Columbia Railroad Day, which is happening on June 10; getting started on Albatwitch Day, which happens in October; or preparing for one of the numerous historic walking tours he gives around Columbia. He also ponders how his various events are going to be received by the public and how big a crowd the market will draw each week. “I’m always worrying about how many people are going to come to an event or come into the Market House,” he commented. “I worry, ‘Are they going to enjoy themselves?’ because that’s the most important thing to me.”

Finally, he climbs into bed between midnight and 1 a.m. most nights. While a typical day for Chris might seem overwhelming for many people, he’s quick to emphasize he that he has people he relies on every day. He credits his daughter, Madison, with helping to care for his wife and his six brothers and sisters with providing support whenever he needs it. He also drinks three to four cups of coffee a day to keep his energy flowing.

But all the caffeine in the world couldn’t change the natural energy that Chris exhibits in everything he does. “My motto is ‘never say no,’” he remarked. “I’m not a ‘sit around and wait’ kind of guy,” he said. “I don’t like to wait for progress. If you want something done, give me the tools, and I’ll get it done.”

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