Wednesday Farmers Market Not As Popular With Tracy Business Owners
TRACY (CBS13) — Vendors on 10th Street said they love the Saturday farmers market, despite the street being closed, because it attracts new business. The Wednesday farmers market, however, is not as popular with a few business owners.
The Tracy City Center Association is a volunteer event board that added a second farmers market this summer. The market shuts down 10th Street for three blocks from 2 to 8 p.m.
Main Street Music, Inc. owner Ken Cefalo said those are his business's peak hours and parking is not available for customers.
"The non-retail businesses are also open, banks, and so forth, so parking is limited," said Cefalo, who added the banks are closed Saturday, offering up more parking spaces.
The pharmacist next door also said his customers complain about parking during the farmers market.
"We actually warn our customers who call on Wednesdays ordering things, 'Remember, there's a farmers market today. You got to get down here before 2 o'clock," said pharmacist Harold Reich.
The Tracy City Center Association said it informed the vendors months ago.
"This isn't something that just got sprung yesterday," said association president Dino Margaros.
"The contracts were signed back in January-ish. Even though we have these meetings not everyone participates in the meetings."
The farmers market can't be moved now, because of contracts. The good news is the association got two new volunteers yesterday from the complaining parties: Reich and Cefalo will head a 10th Street subcommittee to look at parking issues and help create a plan for next summer.
"We're open to ideas, we're open to participation, we're open to solutions," said Margaros.
The Wednesday farmers market only has three more weeks left this summer.
