Turlock Downtown Farmers Market to move after business owners complain

For months, two groups tussled over which would run a farmers market on Main Street in downtown Turlock. Come next month, no one will.

A contentious competition between the established nonprofit Turlock Certified Farmers Market and the startup for-profit Turlock Downtown Farmers’ Market took another turn Wednesday with the announcement the upstart market would vacate the downtown location both had sought.

“A meeting with the downtown market operator and business representatives was held yesterday to discuss concerns about negative impacts of the street closure,” Turlock Park, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Allison Van Guilder wrote in an email to City Council members Wednesday. “As a result, the operator will be relocating the market to Central Park beginning August 6th.”

Van Guilder also noted the downtown market will close for the season at the end of August; plans had called for it to operate through October.

Turlock Downtown Farmers Market owner Peter Cipponeri confirmed the decision to move in a brief telephone conversation Wednesday. He did not call back later as promised.

The brouhaha began late last year when Cipponeri, 24, submitted a request to close Main Street on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May through October. That was the same time and place that the Turlock Certified Farmers Market – which began in 2010 – operated; the nonprofit group had not yet applied for a street closure.

After several lengthy, heated meetings during which Mayor Gary Soiseth appealed to the two sides to work together and residents claimed political connections were being exploited, the nonprofit group withdrew from consideration. The Turlock Certified Farmers Market soon announced it would operate at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds.

Since opening there in May – with a two-week break for the Stanislaus County Fair – the market has been a success, TCFM board president Elizabeth Claes said in an email Wednesday.

“The fairgrounds’ staff have been gracious hosts, and we are so thankful to have moved to a place that works so well for our farmers, vendors and the community of Turlock,” Claes said. “We are already making plans for next year and are hoping to launch a Children’s Edible Garden in conjunction with the market.”

Not so successful was Cipponeri’s market downtown. Sparse crowds have led to seemingly thinning ranks of vendors, though the market’s website still lists nearly three dozen. Last Saturday, the market consolidated to a single block, with very few customers visiting the handful of vendors.

And that was the problem, said Hillary Smith, owner of La Mo Cafe, who along with other restaurant owners met with city staff and Soiseth several times in recent weeks over the matter. Soiseth said he also met with representatives from Bistro 234, Main Street Footers and Farm House, and Van Guilder said the city received feedback from Glitz, a fashion boutique, as well.

“It’s been such a difficult situation,” Smith said. The lack of foot traffic combined with the street closure led to a big hit on local businesses. Smith said she appreciated Cipponeri’s decision to move the market to Central Park.

Central Park, at East Main and South Golden State Boulevard, is about a half-mile closer to the fairgrounds. And it was the location of a short-lived farmers market in 2004, one of a few efforts to resurrect a market in Turlock after a previous Thursday night version closed in the late 1990s. None were successful until the Turlock Certified Farmers Market, which opened in May 2010.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Soiseth called Cipponeri’s decision to move “a step in the right direction to limit any impacts of special events to the brick-and-mortar businesses of downtown Turlock.”

“Turlock is fortunate to have two market options and I encourage all residents to enjoy their Saturday mornings at the fairgrounds and in downtown Turlock.”

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Turlock Downtown Farmers Market to move after business owners complain."