Farmers Market Relocation Still Undecided

Every Thursday morning for the past 27 years, farmers, fishermen and florists have set up their stands at beachside Veterans Park for the Redondo Beach Farmers Market, where they have established relationships with many of their customers. This year, however, the city is contemplating a relocation — an idea that has sparked controversy among farmers market regulars.

The city is considering relocating the farmers market to Riviera Village on Avenue I. Another option being discussed is adding a second farmers market, one that wouldn't compete with the existing market. After a meeting March 22 of the Recreation and Parks Commission, which unanimously recommended the city explore the idea of operating two separate markets, Recreation and Community Services director Mike Witzansky  said a final decision is far off.

"We see value but it's still in that exploration phase," he said. "We're looking at this and assessing the pros and cons."

The concept of relocating the market has been slowly brewing since September of last year, and Witzansky said he doesn't expect the issue to reach the City Council until May at the earliest.

Witzansky said the farmers market's revenue has not increased for about five years. The market's annual total sales generate about $40,000 for the city — 6 to 10 percent of vendor sales, which is just enough to pay for the market's  expenses.

"Whether you're seeing any increase in patronage or the like, you're not seeing any increase in sales," Witzansky said. "So in that respect it's been a stagnant market."

The relocation to Riviera Village may increase revenue in both the farmers market and the surrounding restaurants and stores in the area, he said. Other concerns about the original Veterans Park location include the lack of nearby parking spaces, the limited space to increase the number of vendors and the lack of visibility.

"It's hard to stumble onto our market," Witzansky said. "And it's been there long enough that word of mouth has kind of reached its peak."

"[Riviera Village] is a higher, more visible space," he continued. "We are in a very remote area. Despite its beauty, serenity, it's a very remote location both from a pedestrian standpoint and an automotive standpoint."

But there are many residents and vendors who are passionately opposed to the relocation. They believe the market has successfully offered an intimate ambience to its customers.

Cindy Day, a Redondo resident and longtime farmers market shopper, said she compiled a petition of almost 200 signatures last September to protest moving the market. Moving the market to Riviera Village would inconvenience the market's most loyal patrons — mothers who take their children to the park and seniors at the nearby Casa de Los Amigos Senior Center — she said.

"They're not going to go to Riviera Village and have to find a place to park. I'd say 80 percent of the people with kids in strollers walk, don't drive," Day said.

"It's a beautiful park," she added. "Why are they even thinking about changing a beautiful thing? It's all about politics, it's all about business in Riviera Village."

Jeff Ginsburg, the property manager at Plaza Riviera and a board member of the Riviera Village Business Improvement District, said he believes the ideal solution would be for the city to open a farmers market at Riviera Village as a pilot program before making a final decision to relocate or  add a second market.

He believes that if the farmers market did come to Riviera Village, it would do best in the evenings on weekdays when more parking is available. It would be good for Riviera Village to draw in a new crowd, Ginsburg said.

"When I went to the [Recreation and Parks Commission] meeting, it was overwhelmingly obvious that 98 percent of the people there were opposed to the moving of the farmers market," he said. "My listening to all those people get up and talk converted my feelings from moving it to trying a pilot program."

One Thursday morning at Veterans Park, 34 vendors were lined up in the parking stalls along George Freeth Way and a portion of the parking lot that is south of the park. Vanessa Serrano, 17,  and her mother Ana stood beneath a canopy selling fresh strawberries and vegetables from their farm in Oxnard.

"Customers have known her since she was in diapers," said Ana Serrano, who has been selling at the Redondo Beach Farmers Market for 25 years. "It's like a family here."

"After so many years being in one place, it's not fair," Vanessa said about the potential relocation.

In response to those opposed to the move, Witzansky said that the city is open to input from residents.

"I encourage them to participate," he said. "We've heard a lot of great ideas and would love to hear more if people are willing to contact us."

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The Redondo Beach Farmers Market is held every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. along George Freeth Way and in the parking lot south of Veterans Park.