The closing of the Morgan Hill Farmers’ Market in the winter is
the sensible thing to do, but operation can be year round with
creative ideas to increase shoppers, revenue and interest from the
community.
Since the spring of 1985 the Morgan Hill Farmers’ Market, with its bountiful and colorful fruit and vegetable stands, has been a community-building event under the wonderful auspices of longtime resident Virginia Sellers.
The lucky residents who have discovered the precious outdoor shopping post have enjoyed more than the fresh products it has offered for the past two decades. They have also appreciated the camaraderie of the vendors, the opportunity to shop under the sun, the chance to buy fresh locally grown products and the opportunity to support local farmers and small business people from throughout the Central Valley.
When the market decided to become a year-round venture in the fall of 2003, those who recognized the community building value of it, rejoiced.
Sellers and members of the Walnut Creek-based California Farmers’ Market Association worked hard to attract between 1,200 and 1,500 people during the summer peak seasonal months.
In the winter months, the market plugged along, but attendance declined considerably during the past three winters. The market reported its worst attendance record this past winter because of the persistent rainy weather – less than 200 people. The declining numbers led to a decision last month to close it.
We can’t fault the association and the market for doing the only reasonable thing faced with low revenue and attendance. We can only encourage market patrons to contact Sellers and the association if they want to work with them to help the market stay open year round in 2007.
In November, however, with the onset of winter, the Caltrain station near the corner of Depot and Second streets will seem sadder and will speak volumes of a missed opportunity.
Gone will be the oranges and apples – the delicious and nutritious winter crops that market patrons have come to love. No more fresh bread and fish.
We’ve heard from community members who have said it’s best the association closed it in the winter. Others said they didn’t even know the market was open in the winter. Patrons who needed the market to socialize, particularly seniors who often have nobody to visit with, are dismayed at its closing.
But Morgan Hill’s market is small compared to the others run by the association. Only five of the 12 operated by the organization are strong enough to be year round. The rest, like the Morgan Hill market, succumb to the winter leaving market lovers anxiously waiting until the spring for the fresh produce they enjoy. The smaller markets close because they only have seasonal farmers who are forced to drop out in the winter. The markets, thus, lose the critical mass they need to sustain them.
If Morgan Hill residents and their neighbors to the south want the market to operate year round next year they must fully support it. The city, with the help of organizations like the chambers of commerce of Morgan Hill and Gilroy, downtown business associations and others need to create a stronger advertising budget to better market the event as the only South County farmers’ market.
The city of Saratoga, with a smaller population base, has a thriving farmers’ market, because it’s largely patronized by residents from surrounding cities because of its reputation.
We encourage Sellers and association members to figure out a way to open the market in the winter by coming up with creative ideas considering the limitations imposed by the association while at the same time focusing on ways to increase revenue and patrons through a stronger marketing campaign.
