“Someone described it as a Sunday morning cocktail party without alcohol,” says Allen Thomas of the West End Farmers Market in Santa Rosa. Located across from DeTurk Round Barn park on Donahue Street near Railroad Square, the Sonoma County-certified market occurs Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., mid-March through mid-December. “People just go from one end to the other and talk to each other,” he continues. “You’ll see restaurateurs like Mark and Terri Stark, or Josh and Regina Silver [Jackson’s Bar and Oven] and John Franchetti [Rosso]—all successful entrepreneurs—coming out regularly. I think they come because they see there’s energy. It’s the beginning of some very promising careers for farmers and culinary artists alike.”Thomas, a native of Sunnyvale and a Sonoma County resident since 1990 (he purchased a home in the West End neighborhood in 1992 and still resides there), credits Lawrence Jaffe as the inspiration behind getting the market going. “He stood up at a R/UDAT meeting [Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team; a program of the AIA, which provides objective, expert opinion and public meetings on urban development] to share the idea,” he says. The market was sort of a culmination of ideas, he explains, after the plans for a food and wine center in the area didn’t become reality due to the economic downturn. And it’s already improving the neighborhood in many ways.
Plans went forward in late 2012, and the first market took place June 23, 2013. Today, there’s an average of 30 vendors each week. “There are more food vendors now,” says Thomas. “We have the newest and youngest vendors. A lot of other markets are full and not accepting new applicants. It’s great to give these newer vendors a place to connect with consumers, because it not only provides people who live in town a place to shop [without having to drive anywhere] but is also an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to try out their ideas. An example is Goodman’s Deli, which I’m sure will become a brick-and-mortar restaurant. And Eli Colvin of Revolution Bread will probably open his own place, too. I’m proud to offer that opportunity at a low cost. It’s good for the economy and for the city.”Thomas says the market will likely grow to 40 to 45 vendors within the next couple years. “Anyone interested can fill out an application online. But they should also come and see how their products would fit into the market. A farmers market is the ultimate free market. There’s no contract with the vendors; it’s all about supply and demand. The vendors are there because of customers and vice versa. My job is to make sure everyone’s happy and has a playing field for relationships to build,” he says.
The feel is different from other farmers markets because it’s located within a neighborhood rather than in a parking lot. Shoppers can picnic in the adjacent park and enjoy the people watching and music. “Josh Windmiller from the North Bay Hootenanny produces the music, so the musicians get paid. They’re usually new, young groups. We support the arts that way,” he says.
The market also supports EBT recipients by working with Exchange Bank, Kaiser Permanente and the Santa Rosa Rotary Club to raise money so people can swipe their cards onsite. “It evens the playing field because farmers markets can be expensive. Good-quality food doesn’t have to be out of reach,” he says, naming Slow Foods Sonoma County North as the fiscal sponsor that helps with the EBT grants (people receive 20 points on their cards to use at the market).
“We try to have fun there,” says Thomas of the market and its vendors. “Thirty or so different stores setting up for a six-hour event is a lot of work, but we try not to have stress. The vendors like one another, and we all might as well enjoy ourselves. Sonoma County is lucky to have so many wonderful, hard working farmers. It’s a tourist destination because of its food, wine, landscape and bike riding. We’re hoping to be part of that draw.”
