New Lodi, Galt farmers markets struggle to gain vendors and customers

As the orange season comes to an end and the cherry season is in full-swing, farmers markets all over the state are brimming with fruits and vegetables for sale.

Lodi and Galt are both trying to capture some of the market with new weekend markets.

But starting a farmers market, especially on a weekend when shoppers have so many markets to choose from, can be hard, said Renae Best, an organizer at Sacramento's 8th and W streets market.

That market is one of the largest in the country and has been around for 30 years, Best said.

"It's hard to convince consumers to not go to Safeway, Raley's or the other grocery store around the corner, where there is prepared food," she said. "At markets, it's whole food they have to know what to do with, and go stand-to-stand and pay with cash."

Local organizers are relying on advertising and word-of-mouth to get people interested in Lodi and Galt's smaller markets.

After starting a Sunday summer market last year in Galt, organizers decided to move it to a more accessible location at C Street and Lincoln Way in the Premier West Bank parking lot, organizer Carol Nicholas said.

This year, Galt has struggled with attendance with Mother's Day drawing the largest crowd of 100 people. But the Stockton Certified Farmers' Market Association that runs the market is not giving up.

"We want to see the market grow and working really diligently to make it happen," Nicholas said. "We have some avid farmers market attendees, and they always purchase something."

The market sells nuts, olive oil, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, fresh herbs, Asian produce like bok choy and plants from an Acampo nursery. To try and recruit more vendors, Nicholas said she has not been charging the full rental fees.

"It's a double-edged sword. If you don't have the vendors, you don't have the customers, but the vendors won't come without the customers," she said.

Thursday marked the season opening of the farmers market in Lodi. It is lucky the Lodi one has been around for 18 years because farmers already have it on their calendar, Downtown Lodi Business Partnership director Jaime Watts said. The market had more than 25 certified farmers, and Watts expects more as more fruits and vegetables come into season.

"These farmers do one or two markets per day ... . The farmers have a routine of deciding successful, established markets," she said.

The city of Lodi is also trying to start a market on Saturdays at Lodi Lake. Two weeks ago, they had a baked good and kettle corn vendor. Interim Parks and Recreation Director Jim Rodems said it was hard to put together a list of vendors in a couple of days because the market had been approved the Wednesday before.

Today they will have the two vendors from the first market and two produce vendors.

Every Sunday, DePalma Farms staff makes the trip from Ripon to Galt to sell the farm's peaches and nectarines. Dominic DePalma has noticed the dozen markets he attends have been slow.

"We got a lot of peaches to move this year. We gotta move them," he said. "I hope these markets stay open. These consumers need to learn that these farmers markets have the freshest produce that is picked daily."

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 1:48 p.m. Monday, July 8 to correct the times of the Lodi Farmers Market.