Hollister Farmers Market opens May 13
A new location and expanded roster of vendors has supporters of
the Hollister Farmers Market excited for its opening on May 13.
Most recently held on the grassy area at the corner of Fourth
and San Benito streets in the heart of downtown, the market this
year will be centered along Fifth Street between San Benito and
Monterey streets.
Hollister Farmers Market opens May 13
A new location and expanded roster of vendors has supporters of the Hollister Farmers Market excited for its opening on May 13.
Most recently held on the grassy area at the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets in the heart of downtown, the market this year will be centered along Fifth Street between San Benito and Monterey streets.
“I actually think it’s a better location,” said first-year market manager Tammy Jackson. “We are going to have more space with all the farmers up and down Fifth Street,” which will be closed from 1-8 p.m. every Wednesday for 16 weeks. The market itself will be open to the public from 3-7 p.m.
“We are still going to have some things on the lawn facing The Vault [restaurant], including an artists’ section and some nonprofit booths,” she said, noting that the food vendors will be in the parking lot behind the restaurant.
“I really like the layout,” Jackson said. “It gives the vendors a lot more space and it’s easier to keep things clean.”
The city decided it did not want the vehicular traffic on the Fourth Street lawn because it affects the health and condition of the grass, which cost $10,000 to repair at the end of last summer.
The decision has drawn praise from vendors and downtown advocates alike.
“We’re really excited about it,” said Brenda Weatherly, executive director of the Hollister Downtown Association. “It seems like we’re going to have a lot more vendors and it’s going to be bigger than previous years. We’re hoping that it’ll attract more people to the downtown.”
The HDA’s Sharlene Van Rooy, who ran the Farmers Market in the previous two years, said this year’s event will give shoppers “more options, more selections.”
“I think we’re going to need another whole block of Fifth Street because every day people are coming into the office to sign up,” she said. “It’s going to be huge this year.”
Van Rooy credited Jackson with using her community contacts to bring in new vendors to the annual event, which she said dates back to the 1980s.
Nearly 40 vendors have signed up to peddle their products, including new vendors such as meat and jerky vendors, locally grown and produced olive oils, cut fruit sellers and Casa de Fruta, which will offer freshly-baked pies.
Paine’s Restaurant will offer take-home dinner selections and Cafe Ella will sell desserts. Mansmith’s Barbeque will again offer tri-tip, chicken and garlic bread and other vendors will offer a variety of food and snacks.
“We’re really excited about the numbers,” Jackson said. “Now we need to get people there.”
The market is a “certified” farmers market, meaning that all vendors must verify that they grow the products that they sell.
“That means you know where it comes from,” Jackson said.
A block of Sixth Street from San Benito to Monterey streets was considered as the new site for the market, but Fifth Street turned out to be a better option, organizers said, because it will keep the weekly event near the most heavily trafficked part of downtown, near the parking garage.
In addition to a variety of fresh, locally grown produce, the Gabilan Kinship Center has signed up to sell its cookbooks, and the HDA will have a booth from which it will sell a downtown club card that offers discounts to businesses in the area. The San Benito County Farm Bureau will sell reusable cloth shopping bags and Ag for Hunger, an organization that gleans food from fields to donate to food pantries, is on the vendor list.
Local bands and singers are scheduled to perform throughout the spring and summer, and guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or chairs to listen to music as they eat on the lawn near the Briggs Building parking garage.
An artisan area will feature vendors selling note cards, candles and jewelry, as well as homemade soaps and lotions. The San Benito High School chapter of Future Farmers of America will sell produce its members have grown along with arranged, cut flowers.
Children can jump in a bounce house or have their face painted while their parents shop at the market, which accepts food stamps and WIC coupons.
Though the number of vendors continues to grow, Jackson said the Hollister Farmers Market will still accept applications from prospective vendors.
Interested in being a vendor?
Applications are available at www.downtownhollister.org. There is no minimum number of weeks for which to sign up. Vendors can sell their goods one time or all 16 weeks of the event. For more information, call Tammy Jackson at 408-804-1234 or e-mail the Hollister Downtown Association at
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