Comments on: Permanent farm market proposed for Sonoma County Fairgrounds

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:05:29 +0000

Wasn’t this the same idea originally proposed for the area between Railroad Square and the old cannery buildings? At least that area is closer to freeway access which would garner more customers. And with the future SMART trains, even more exposure would be available to suppoprt business there.

By: Sonoma Local

Sonoma Local — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:41:48 +0000

The developer for this is not a local resident. He is from Boise.

70,000-square-feet is a lot of room to fill. In this economy I don’t see it happening. We already have the farmers market at the vets, the down town market in the summer, and also the redwood square project, why do we need another. There is only so much pie to go around.

Plus parking at the fair during events is already horrible and over flows into neighborhoods. Now you’re going to take up needed parking spots to create a new building, that will just sit there if this doesn’t take off like planned. Could you image what it will be like with the Health & Harmony fair and this marketplace happening at the same time? Or how about during the 4th of July events?

Why not just purchase a building that already exists (like the AT&T building or the skyhawk market that just closed) and remodel it. Or another building that has been sitting for years with no tenets and is centrally located?

By: hector

hector — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:06:52 +0000

Really great idea.

By: Dale Eckebrecht

Dale Eckebrecht — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:28:37 +0000

Why name it SONOMA MARKETHALL if it’s in Santa Rosa? Shouldn’t the Sonoma Markethall be in Sonoma? Whoever came up with that name is not from any where around here. Sonoma County Markethall or Santa Rosa MarketHall would seem like a better name.

By: Gene Gaffney

Gene Gaffney — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:32:21 +0000

We already have the oldest and really great Farmers Market happening every Wednesday and Saturday at the Vets Building in Santa Rosa. Why do we need this? If it’s not broke, why fix it?

By: feltonius

feltonius — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:10:15 +0000

I’d like to see a “free trade” area in this market, where instead of permanent vendors people who produced food and other goods locally (read sonoma, marin, or lake counties) could just come and set up a booth anytime their goods were available. They would be exempt from all the usual obstacles to independent producers like producer’s certificates, health inspections, and the rest. it would be buyer beware, but people could actually then sell the things they produced and had extra available, _whenever_ they were actually available. maybe shoppers would have to sign a waiver to enter and there’d need to be some system to keep out scammers importing produce from the central valley, but if it could be pulled off, it might allow a lot of backyard, local production.

By: ben aronoff

ben aronoff — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:04:43 +0000

This is a GREAT idea…As a child in Philadelphia, magical moments came for me at the Reading Terminal farmer’s market with the Amish country farmers bringing their fresh produce and other goods unique to the area to the center-city establishment. What a fantastic place for our local farmers and merchants to sell their unique goods.

By: glenn gotreaux

glenn gotreaux — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:26:37 +0000

I have been to the Pikes Peak Market in Seattle many times and this would be an awesome addition for Santa Rosa.

By: gerry2280

gerry2280 — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:03:49 +0000

Great! Just what we need…another wine and food center to go broke. The Farmers’ Market is great the way it is. Do we have to let the winos take over everything? The Fair Board is desperate for money and headed in the wrong direction.

By: Vineman

Vineman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:45:36 +0000

Comparing this concept to Pike place is a bit naive! It is akin to putting Copia in the city of Napa instead of Yountville or St Helena. Pike Place is what it is because it is centrally located in a significant tourist destination. I just don’t see demand significant enough to make this economically viable. I do hope it works however, but I think the site is a poor choice as most of the tourists are speeding through Santa Rosa on their way to Healdsburg, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and the Sonoma Valley.