UPDATE: French Market Opens This Weekend With Wine, Cheese and More Treats

Updated Thursday, May 12

The French Market opens this Saturday and will run through Oct. 22. It'll be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday in parking lot behind . According to a recent Village Board meeting, there are at least 14 vendors signed up with four more waiting to get approved. Locally grown produce, wines and cheeses from across the Midwest will be featured.

There will be bakeries, kettle corn, hanging baskets, pesto, olive oils and vinegars, grass fed beef, chicken, pork, gourmet vegetable mixes and locally grown produce.

As part ofthe  opening day festivities, the New Lenox Fire Department will be on hand with their ladder truck and its new ambulance to showcase to the community. Channel 6 also invites the public to stop in the Village Hall to visit its new studio on the second floor.

Previously (Published March 28)

At last year's farmers market, there were sometimes as few as four or five vendors, some of which sold the same thing.

"It didn’t work out very well for us," said Char Bockover, who operates Bock's Greenhouse with her husband, Gary. "We had a lot of the same kind of vendors, so there was a lot of competition."

After New Lenox's 2010 farmers market , the new operator, French Market, is making progress and looking for vendors as its opening date nears. The Bockovers were one of about 10 interested vendors who came to an informational meeting Saturday looking for a better experience this year.

The French Market is owned by Bensidoun USA and has been running European-style markets throughout the Chicago area, starting in Wheaton in 1997. There are now 15 different markets in the area, with Mokena being the closest to New Lenox.

"This is going to be something that is an extremely positive thing for the community," said Village Trustee Annette Bowden, who was instrumental in getting the French Market to come to town. "The people are looking for that kind of variety."

Bowden and the French Market's Midwest Manager, Leslie Cahill, met with interested vendors to answer questions about how the new setup will operate compared to the past.

For starters, the French Market has space for 30 vendors and anticipates it'll have about 20 throughout the entire summer. Last year, only two vendors returned from 2009. The operator, Donna Ondriska, accused her predecessor—who operates several other area markets—of telling his vendors they couldn't participate if they also sold at the New Lenox farmers market.

The French Market hopes to avoid that pitfall by offering discounts to returning vendors and drawing from its database of vendors in the area. And this market won't just focus on produce and will try to minimize the number of vendors selling the same things. Cahill said she already has applications from people looking to sell baked goods, produce, kitchen gadgets and even wine.

Another change will be that the French Market provides vendors with a table and tent. The organization and presentation is something important to the Bockovers, who sell hanging baskets, annuals and other flowers and plants. At times last year, they said, it was hard to tell if there was actually a market going on. The tents are standard for all French Market locations, but Cahill said that won't take away from the local atmosphere.

"It really is a regional attraction for people," she said. "But it’s still a hyperlocal experience. All our markets have similar looks, but a local feeling to it."

The French Market opens May 14 and will run through Oct. 22. It'll be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday in parking lot behind . If you're a vendor interested in getting involved, contact Cahill at 312-575-0286 or cebcec@sbcglobal.net. Local businesses and non-profits are also welcome to reserve a table.

"It will really be an event for people," Cahill said. "It should develop into a really nice, weekly community meeting place for people here."