The Farmers Market in 2024 will be back to its former location on Adrian Street.

by Marsha Chartrand

At last Tuesday’s meeting of the Manchester City Council, two members of the Manchester Farmers Market committee were in attendance to present a proposal for this summer’s market to return to the downtown scene from its prior location at Chi-Bro Park.

Tim Polk and Samantha Tank, representing the Farmers Market, explained that after extensive discussions with vendors, customers, and the business community, it was determined that this would be a more suitable location for a variety of reasons. Polk said there was 100% support among the businesses he had talked to along Adrian and Main streets.

“It all came down to a few issues,” said chair Theresa Herron. “Parking, visibility, convenience, and popular demand.”

Parking can be difficult at Chi-Bro, she explained: “Even when we had vendors park on the grass, we would often run out of spaces for customers. It’s also easier access for vendors to set up and then clean up/break down.”

In the spring and early fall, many parents of students at Klager and Riverside use the park as a pick-up location and have kids walk from the schools to the park; this cleared up fairly quickly but was complicated for the weeks that overlap with the market. Not only was parking compromised, but there were fears that a student could get hit by a car pulling in or out.

Herron also said that many people found it difficult to determine whether or not the market was open while driving by on M-52. “We tried various signs but it never felt like enough,” Herron said.

It’s often been expressed that having the market right in town could be beneficial to the downtown businesses. If those businesses started having “sidewalk sales” or some other promotional outside presence, it would likewise help the market traffic.

“Most importantly,” said Herron, “a number of vendors and customers specifically requested a move back to our previous location.”

Market manager Dana Turner-Queen had generated multiple surveys over the course of last summer’s market season and found that many people simply preferred the Adrian Street location for the market.

A vote by Council was unanimously in favor of the move, and the Farmers Market plans to begin its new season in May, running through October.