MOORPARK : Antiques, Farmers’ Market Plan OKd

Moorpark city officials have approved plans for a weekly farmers’ market and antiques sale on High Street in downtown Moorpark, saying they hope the project will help revive the ailing shopping district.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to permit Thousand Oaks businesswoman Sherry Marsh to hold the weekly event on a vacant lot at Magnolia Avenueand High Street.

Marsh, 34, whose family owns a Thousand Oaks construction firm, said she plans to operate the market every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning in late May.

City officials agreed with Marsh that a farmers’ market and outdoor antiques sale will be well-suited to High Street, which was previously home to several now-closed antiques shops.

“It’s a great strolling street with all the trees and the Victorian-era facades,” Marsh said of the four-block avenue. “It’s quaint.”

Council members cautioned, however, that they do not want the event to turn into a flea market or swap meet.

“It’s not going to be a flea market,” Marsh said Thursday. “There’s not going to be people there selling old shoes or broken plates.”

Instead, the antiques sale that will be held alongside the farmers’ market will feature collectibles, such as antique dolls.

The market is likely to be only temporary, Marsh said. Her family bought the 15,000-square-foot lot at Magnolia Avenue and High Street to build a doughnut shop or other business that would cater to commuters using the High Street rail station. The commuter rail service is scheduled to start operating in Moorpark in November.