A massive farmers market in Temecula, California, has swelled in size since it was launched in 1991 with 13 vendors. Today, 70 merchants offer their wares to an estimated 4,000 people on Saturdays, and 300 vendors are waiting for a booth, according to an article in the Riverside Press-Enterprise. What do all of those vendors sell? Just about anything except antiques, whether it comes off a farm or not. That has raised hackles with some local business owners, who complain that itinerant vendors unfairly compete with them and drive away their customers on what used to be a busy sales day. Some local merchants are planning on taking their grievance to the City Council.
"It's gone from a farmers market to a flea market," said Jack Keaton, co-owner of Jack's Nuts on Fifth Street, one of the business owners who is mobilizing opposition to the market.
In a statement prepared for the City Council, the group of peeved merchants stated:
"If this favoring of outsiders over city-owned and operated businesses continues, as the city appears intent on doing, it will be a ghost town surrounding the Farmers' Market on Saturdays."
Market manager Gale Cunningham told the Press-Enterprise that to allay merchants' concerns, she "tries" to limit products to handmade items and farm-related goods. And the market's web site promises that the produce at the market is grown by those who are selling it, as required by the state laws governing farmers market. But the market managment seems to pass the buck to the state regarding responsibility to assure that the law is actually enforced:
" 'Certified' means by the state of California. It's supposed to ensure that the produce are [sic] grown locally, sold by the grower and they meet all state quality standards."
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