Merced’s farmers market to move to center of downtown

Merced’s weekly farmers market will be moving into the heart of the city’s downtown district as part of a strategy by the Merced Main Street Association to attract more people to the area.

The City Council during Monday’s meeting unanimously approved the move for anytime after April 18. It’s the first big success for the Main Street Association, a coalition of business owners who have sway over how downtown is marketed and used.

The certified farmers market has been a staple of Merced’s downtown since 1980, and has traditionally been held in a parking lot at 18th and N streets. The approval this week moves it to Bob Hart Square, where it will spill into a cul-de-sac on Canal Street and into an adjacent parking lot.

“The whole premise was we wanted to move the farmers market more into the downtown so it can be a community, family fun day,” said Daniel Kazakos, president of the association.

Kazakos, who is also chief executive officer of spa retailer Country Comfort on Main Street, said it took half a year to clear the hurdles but moving the market is the first piece of a plan the association looks to implement.

He said there will be some fanfare and buildup before the market moves, which likely would happen some time in May.

The association is continuing to work out the details, but the City Council approved the sale of produce and crafts at the downtown location. It also allowed live music, but not the sale of alcohol. “We want to bill it as the place to be in Merced County on a Saturday,” Kazakos said.

The association was awarded a contract in January to oversee the downtown marketing and a tax paid by business owners in the area, which amounts to about $60,000 a year. The association has said that should help downtown blossom.

David Gonzalves, the director of Development Services for Merced, said the agreement does not give the association total control over Bob Hart Square on Saturdays. There is room for other groups to use it.

The move, if it successfully drives up pedestrian traffic, could be a boon for farmers. Some smaller growers rely on farmers markets as a large part of their incomes.

The association has also requested that the farmers market sign on a median on N Street be moved to a location near the market’s new home.

Certified farmers markets, which are regulated by the state Department of Agriculture, require that most of what is sold come from sellers’ farm or neighboring farms.

According to city records, the market will be open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday.

This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Merced’s farmers market to move to center of downtown."