Sunday Farmers Market Has A New Operator

In a bid to attract more paying customers to downtown Martinez, a new group will operate the Sunday farmers market beginning in May, it was announced on Dec. 30. The original operators bowed out earlier this week.

Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association will take over the Sunday market and promises more produce vendors and "non-agricultural" vendors, which generally means prepared foods.

"For some time, Main Street Martinez and downtown businesses have wanted to expand and grow attendance at the Sunday market," said Leanne Peterson, executive director of Main Street Martinez (MSM), in a press release.

"(Pacfic Coast) successfully manages over 60 farmers markets in seven Bay Area counties including the thriving Thursday market in Todos Santos Plaza in Concord," said Rich Stahlberg of Stahlberg's Photography, a member of the MSM board of directors.

He noted that the operators were also awarded the contract to operate the market in Pleasant Hill, which was formerly run by Contra Costa Certified Farmers Market (CCCFM), the group who just bowed out of the Sunday Martinez market.

"We see opportunities to grow the Sunday market, perhaps try new advertising techniques that haven't been tried before," said Allen White, Pacific Coast assistant director. He noted the group has years of experience running the Thursday farmers market on Court Street, an event aimed primarily at county workers and those with county business, such as jurors and lawyers.

The Sunday market has been "a labor of love" for CCCFM over the past nine years, said Jesse Neu, CCCFM director. Her group, which operates four other markets in Contra Costa, pleaded with the City Council earlier this month to release them from the contract with Main Street Martinez and allow them to contract directly with the city. At that time, staff was directed to look further into the issue.

Earlier this week, however, CCCFM announced it would no longer be operating the Sunday market, citing differences in "objectives and practices" with MSM.

CCCFM inferred that the Sunday market could not expand without more shoppers to justify the vendors being there. Neu said she inticed vendors to Martinez in the early years by promising them spots in the far more populated Walnut Creek market.

MSM seems to believe the opposite: if they can find an operator willing to expand the market, and keep it open all year long, more people will come. To that end, the group earlier this year asked other market operators to submit proposals for a larger market.

Pacific Coast was the only opererator to respond to that proposal, according to the press release.

CCCFM director Jesse Neu was not available for comment, but the CCCFM website states that "it is with much regret, that CCCFM will no longer be offering a Sunday Farmer's Market in Martinez. CCCFM has concluded that the objectives and practices of Main Street Martinez do not align with ours. We have enjoyed our nine seasons of serving and growing the Sunday market in our community and we hope you will visit our other CCCFM markets."