The city government has received an application for a special event permit to hold a weekly Farmers Market at the Pier. A notice that the city received the application was published in the print edition of the Feb. 12 Sun.
The market is scheduled to be held every Friday, starting March 20.
“We anticipate roughly 30 vendors a week although this number could fluctuate a little based on vendor size,” wrote Seal Beach Recreation Manager Tim Kelsey in a recent email.
“The event time will take place from 9-2 and we think that we’ll see around 250 people each day throughout that time period, this number is an estimate. At this time we have not planned live music but we could assess that later if a small ancillary act is in the betterment of the event. As this is a weekly event the City plans to review and adjust as is necessary to insure that the market is successful and something that residents positively respond too,” Kelsey wrote.
“The market will focus on fresh produce and prepared foods,” Kelsey wrote.
“The Farmer’s Market is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, and will be similar to the other Markets in the area,” wrote District One Councilman Joe Kalmick in a recent email.
“It will feature fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as additional prepared foods and baked goods. The hope is to bring both residents and new visitors to downtown, where they can also visit our existing shops and eateries,” Kalmick wrote.
According to Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce Board Member Peter Magalhaes, the Chamber worked closely with city officials to make the weekly event happen.
The applicant for the permit was Lee Ostendorf of Local Harvest Farmers Markets, who is also the owner of Main Street Mercantile.
“Just trying to bring a good farmers market to a great city,” Ostendorf said.
Ostendorf said she has been doing farmers markets for more than 30 years. She said she was looking to bring the best for Seal Beach. Ostendorf said she could only fit so many participants into the space, so they would be selective about who is allowed to be there.
Ostendorf said she currently does five farmers markets a week.
Asked how she would define success, Ostendorf said: “Happy people that continue to return to the market.”
Ostendorf said her farmers markets are local harvest and certified markets—everything is grown in California.
“We try to bring the freshest of the fresh,” Ostendorf said.
“Seal Beach has wanted a farmers market for a long time,” she wrote in a text message.
“They just didn’t want to close down Main Street,” Ostendorf wrote.
Background
Farmers markets are not new to Seal Beach. One is held every Tuesday in the Seal Beach Village shopping center next to Leisure World.
Farmers markets have been proposed for different locations on Main Street in the past.
• In 2014, then-Sun columnist Lara Anderson of Huntington Harbor argued in favor of farmers markets in general in the Sun. She did not advocate for a farmers market in Seal Beach. (For details, see Opinion: “Farmers markets” at sunnews.org.)
• In late May 2018, the City Council heard from supporters and opponents of a proposed farmers market to be held on the 2000 block of Main Street.
At the time, the city was looking at a 90-day pilot period. (For details, see “Weekly market proposed for Main Street” and “Merchants argue merits of proposed Main Street ‘farmers market’” at sunnews.org.) The Sun received a letter to the editor opposing the farmers market. (See “Letters to the Editor: Thursday, May 31, 2018,” at sunnews.org).
• On Jun 6, 2018, then-Assistant City Manager Patrick Gallegos confirmed that the application for the weekly farmers market had been withdrawn.
• The issue came up again in 2019. The Sun received a letter to the editor arguing in favor of the farmers market. (See “Letters to the Editor: published Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019,” at sunnews.org.) However, by the time the Sun received the letter, the application had been withdrawn. (See “2019 market permit application withdrawn” at sunnews.org.)
