Residents used to spending Wednesday afternoons perusing booths
laden with organic fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers and hot
buttered corn-on-a-stick did so for the last time yesterday as
vendors at the Hollister Farmers Market made their last appearance
until next year.
Hollister – Residents used to spending Wednesday afternoons perusing booths laden with organic fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers and hot buttered corn-on-a-stick did so for the last time yesterday as vendors at the Hollister Farmers Market made their last appearance until next year.
“It’s sad,” said vendor Cindi Bono. “It’s a great outing. You get to visit with people and they get to benefit from the fresh fruits and vegetables. You can’t find them any fresher.”
About 26 vendors, mostly local, hawked their wares during the market’s three-month tenure on the corner of Fourth and San Benito streets, according to Diana Thorson, the market’s coordinator for the Hollister Downtown Association.
In years past the market had been held on East Street from Fifth to Seventh streets, but having it on the main drag through town helped make it more visible, she said.
“Everybody seemed happy this year – vendors and customers,” Thorson said. “We had a good variety of merchandise… and we were very pleased that we had at least three nonprofits (represented) each week.”
Thorson completed surveys during the season and found the number one request to improve the market would be staying open later, she said.
“Commuters said it was cutting it close at 7pm,” she said.
The HDA Farmers Market committee will meet in November and decide if the market will extend its hours next year, she said.
Hollister resident Donna Berlin frequented the market at least twice a month to pick up fresh produce and see friends, and preferred having the market on San Benito Street because it was more convenient, she said.
“The parking garage is right here, so you don’t have to go all over looking for parking,” she said.
The HDA plans to have the market at the same location next year, but will discuss moving it to a different location if a building is built on that corner after the moratorium is lifted in 2005, Thorson said.
“We’ll worry about it later,” she said. “We still have time to think about it.”
First-time vendor Paul Hain, who sold pastured poultry, walnuts and tomatoes, joined the market to build a local following for his business and entice people to buy food locally, he said.
“It mimics what’s in the store, except it’s fresher and it’s local,” Hain said.
While the market was successful, if more vendors participated, it would draw a larger customer base, which would benefit the entire community, he said.
Hain hopes that in the future more vendors from out of town will join the market to increase the variety of merchandise.
“We have a lot of local people and that’s very good, but there are other people from outside that have unique products that will really draw people in,” he said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
