Farmers market in Fresno’s Tower District on hiatus. Why some hope it stays that way - Fresno Bee
When the Tower District Farmer’s Market opened in April, Shannon Houston was excited at the prospect of getting a weekly neighborhood hangout and access to the region’s abundance of fruits and vegetables.
She was confused on its opening night, to find a closed-down Olive Avenue that was loud and reeking of generator fumes. Walking through a gauntlet of food trucks she found just three or four vegetable stands nestled in the middle of the market.
“I walked away with my bag of veggies, kind of shocked by it all,” says Houston, one of a group of community members raising concerns about the weekly market, which recently announced it’s closed for the winter.
Originally launched as a 52-week, year-round event, the market closed in January because of bad weather and lower than expected attendance, says Peter DeYoung, Executive Director of California Fresh Farmers Market Association, which runs Tower Market and four others in Fresno.
It should reopen in March, though some are hoping it remains closed.
Food trucks, generator fumes and noise
Earlier this month, a petition was created on the website Change.Org. In it, organizers call for the elimination of the market, which they say is “disruptive and detrimental to the neighborhood.”
“We urge city officials to remove this weekly farmers market completely from our neighborhood until a more suitable location can be found or better management practices are implemented.”
Sensing some concern, the nonprofit Tower District Preservation Association put together a survey in the issue, asking the community to weigh in with their thoughts on the market. The answers will be shared with the market’s organizers. The group is looking to get 300-plus responses by Feb. 7.
The idea of having a weekly farmers market in the Tower had been in the works since 2021 at least and was lauded by the Tower District Marketing Committee and members of Fresno city council in a press conference announcing its opening. But within weeks, there was push back on social media from some community members and businesses along Olive Avenue.
At least one business said the noise and fumes from a generator set up outside its front door made it impossible to remain open during the market’s opening week. Others complained that the number of food trucks severely outnumbered the number of fruit and vegetable producers and were siphoning off business from longtime Tower District establishments.
There also were questions about the footprint of the market inhibiting traffic into and out of the neighborhoods around Olive Avenue.
The farmers market experience
Much of this is a question of perception, DeYoung says.
“People come out looking for an experience,” he says.
“Some families make a night of it.”
California Fresh’s markets (at River Park, Fort Washington Shopping Center, Tesoro Viejo and El Paseo) are typically designed as an event within an event, he says. So, along with farms direct-selling seasonal fruit and produce you will see other food producers selling things like meats, honey and breads.
There will be vendors selling crafts.
And there will be food trucks.
Because these markets are certified by the state, there are regulations on which farmers can participate and all produce must be grown within the region.
Meaning, you will only see what is being harvested locally any particular time of year, DeYoung says. That can mean limited selection during the fall and winter before the area hits peak harvest season in summer.
“It’s not a grocery store.”
There’s also the supply and demand of things, DeYoung says.
Even if he had 40 growers at a market, if they are selling the same things and the customer base isn’t there, they won’t make enough money to keep coming back, DeYoung says. It can take a year or two for a market to get up and running with a consistent number of producers.
Aaron Gossett owns The Lincoln Pub and Grub on Olive Avenue and is the president of Tower District Marketing Committee. He admits he had envisioned the Tower District Farmers Market as something similar to the markets in Old Town Clovis or in downtown San Luis Obispo.
“And that’s not exactly what happened,” he says.
But it did serve its purpose in driving foot traffic into his restaurant. The Lincoln saw an immediate uptick on Thursday evenings. That lasted into the summer, when business didn’t quite fall off like it had in the past. There was a definite increase in food sales for those few hours each Thursday, he says.
And there are issues of concern, he says, but those are being addressed. For instance, the market will likely have a smaller footprint when it returns and won’t include the closure of side streets. Organizers are working to keep food trucks from directly competing with existing brick-and-mortar businesses and making sure generators are placed away from the crowds.
Eventually it will require the use of rechargeable LED lights.
The market is also working to make sure customers can use EBT, and will be part of a federal market match program that gives EBT users an extra $15 to spend on produce.
“This was a great first run,” Gosset says.
“People just need to be patient.”
Joshua Tehee covers breaking news for The Fresno Bee, writing on a wide range of topics from police, politics and weather, to arts and entertainment in the Central Valley.
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