Farmers Market Goes Back to Main Street

The popular Friday afternoon farmers market and crafts fair will move back to Main Street today despite objections from some downtown merchants, who say that closing a portion of the roadway for the sale keeps some of their customers away.

To resolve those concerns, the Downtown Merchants Assn. has made some changes, among them keeping Olive and Walnut streets open to through traffic and closing Main from noon to 8 p.m., rather than 10 p.m., which had been the practice before.

Street sales booths will now be set up on Main between Walnut and Orange avenues from 2 to 7 p.m.

In April, the fair was moved to Main Street from a vacant lot where a redevelopment project will start later this year. But after merchants protested the street closing, the fair returned to the lot temporarily.

Steve Daniel, president of the Downtown Merchants Assn., said that the group decided at a recent meeting to return the fair to Main Street because there is simply no other available downtown location.

Daniel said many merchants and residents support the fair because it creates a festival atmosphere that attracts shoppers and browsers to downtown.

“It brings a whole different kind of people who normally don’t come down here,” he said.

Daniel said that downtown merchants are encouraged to take part by setting up booths on Main for sale days.

Still, merchants such as Carrie Benoit, owner of Surf City Casuals, say their business is being hurt.

“We’re just not making any money if we stay in our stores,” Benoit said.

She said she will reluctantly set up a booth today in the hope of drawing customers. “I have to go out on the street or I won’t make any money.”