Evening street market to make debut in downtown Modesto next week

It has a date, time and place, but not quite yet a name.

The assemblage of produce, food vendors, craftspeople and entertainers that will line 10th Street between I and K streets Thursday nights starting next week has been referred to by organizers as 10th Street Market or Evening Market on 10th.

They’ve even flirted with the idea of calling it the DOMO (as in downtown Modesto) market, said Josh Bridegroom, chief executive officer of the Downtown Modesto Partnership, the nonprofit that operates the Downtown Modesto Community Benefit District. The district and the Modesto Certified Farmers Market are working together to put on the market.

Note the absence of the word “farmers” in the possible names.

That’s because “this isn’t your grandma’s farmers market,” Bridegroom said. “We want to celebrate our produce and our agricultural heritage, but we want a larger mix of craft vendors and hot food and music vendors.”

The plan is to have three to five musical acts every week playing at different locations along the two blocks, he said. He anticipates acts being softly amplified or acoustic. “We don’t want it to be obnoxious or glaring, but fun and festive.”

He offered the example that local favorites Home Grown are scheduled to perform July 7. And Certified Farmers Market Manager Marie Uber said two acts lined up so far for opening night June 2 are the Lodge Pole Pickers and a fiddling group.

The hot food vendors will be a diverse mix that complements the other food vendors at the market, he said. A couple of downtown eateries – The Commonwealth and Ralston’s Goat – have said they’re interested in having market booths in addition to being open during the weekly event, Bridegroom said.

The tougher nut to crack has been finding craftspeople. The market will be starting out with just a few, Bridegroom said, but the goal is to build up to 15 to 20 craft vendor spaces. In reaching out to the crafts community, Bridegroom said he’s learned many people do their work more as a hobby and aren’t up to producing enough to be regulars at the market.

That’s led organizers to consider shared booths with a rotating group of craft vendors using them. “We’re also going around to other markets that have vendors on different days and asking them to consider coming to ours,” Bridegroom said. “The more opportunities they have to sell, the better. And we’re going to some retailers who sell artisan goods and recycled furniture, or fun, whimsical, entertaining durable goods that people would like to see at the market.”

The evening market, from 5 to 9 p.m., can accommodate up to 60 vendors, Bridegroom said. He said Wednesday that 40 to 45 are committed, with about five more likely. The aim is to launch with 50.

About 25 vendors from the Thursday morning Modesto Certified Farmers Market are committed to doing the evening market as well, using about 30 spaces, Uber said. She and Bridegroom are excited about a new dairy vendor that will carry cheese, yogurt, and low-fat and reduced-fat milk. “The idea is that as people leave the city-county building who might need to get milk or cheese on the way home, they can grab it there,” Bridegroom said.

There also will be a new meat vendor who specializes in freshly made beef jerky, he said.

And Uber said she’s pleased to see Fiscalini Cheese, which used to be at the certified market but left about three years ago, return for the evening market.

Another thing about the market, Bridegroom said: “We’re doing something unique in that instead of the tents facing inward and having their butts face the sidewalks, the fronts will face the brick-and-mortar retailers. We’re trying to encourage retailers to be open and active with the market.”

Having the vendors facing outward from 10th Street also will require visitors to circle around both sides to fully take it in, he said. The center of 10th Street will be kept open as a fire lane but may have some tables and chairs for people to sit and eat hot food.

The market will run this year through Nov. 17, Bridegroom said. Long-range goals are to have the market cover six blocks along 10th and J streets and to build the vendor base to make the market perennial. “So if you come downtown on a Thursday night, you’re guaranteed to find the market.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 8:48 AM with the headline "Evening street market to make debut in downtown Modesto next week."