Since its long-awaited opening last October, the Yellow Green Farmers Market has attracted local produce vendors and crafty entrepreneurs selling products ranging from leather apparel made from alligator skin to lucky bamboo plants. But, despite the initial hoopla generated in its first weeks open to the public, the market now also sports over 100 empty booths — a problem General Manager Mark Menagh doesn’t really see as an issue.
“People see the empty booths and think we’re not meeting some goal,” said Menagh, who became the general manager two months ago. “Filling 350 booths would be nice, but that’s not the goal right now. Our goal is to give the community an opportunity to develop businesses.”
The 100,000-square-foot facility currently has 220 booths rented out, which Menagh said gives the vendors an opportunity to develop their brand and their consumer base without too much competition from similar vendors. For example, the farmers market has five produce vendors, which some residents have commented as not enough, but Menagh said the market has seen an increase in the number of produce sold over the last couple months. If the market had more, he said, many vendors would not survive.
Instead, Menagh and his team are focusing on bringing in diversity and high-quality vendors to attract repeat consumers among locals for produce and meats and to draw in tourists with the arts and crafts vendors.
“We don’t consider ourselves a flea market, but we do have a variety of products,” Menagh said. “First and foremost we are a farmers market, but we need to attract tourists, as well as locals.”
The market, located at 1940 N. 40th Road, includes booths filled with paintings by local artists, handmade jewelry, organic baby clothes, Asian teas, European pastries, empanadas and many other unique products. Hollywood resident Barbara Bolwell, manages Bottle Creations, a business that makes decorative lamps out of old alcohol bottles. In addition, the market will soon add an all-organic produce vendor, which local residents have been wanting to see more of at the market.
“I love the Yellow Green Farmers Market,” said Lynn Greenberg, who operates the Whimsy at Work booth at the market. She sells handmade jewelry she makes from clay and homemade paper. “The market is a new business, and people need to give us a chance. I’m going to stick it out because I believe in it.”
Other vendors have the same attitude about the market, with Susie Cowen, an orchid vendor, saying that the Yellow Green Farmers Market couldn’t be much more convenient for vendors. She said the rent is extremely reasonable at $200 a month, and at the end of the day, she simply has to lock up her booth rather than hauling all her plants home and setting up again the next day.
“It’s such a happy place,” she said. “The people who are here are great, and there are a lot of high-quality vendors coming here.”
For first time visitors Kim and Larry Gonzales and their daughter, Jada-Skyy, the farmers market offers them a place to buy fresh, natural eggs — Lake Meadow Naturals, LLC, which sells cage-free, local chicken and duck eggs.
“The market is nice,” said Larry Gonzales, who lives in Hollywood. “I’ll definitely come back because they have great stuff.”
General manager Menagh said the Yellow Green Farmers Market provides a sense of community because you shop with locals and you buy from locals. He said it’s a great way to support the local economy by patronizing local businesses and entrepreneurs.
“We’re a unique location,” he said. “We are a community market. By shopping here, residents have the opportunity to create a unique venue in the community that can’t be experienced anywhere else.”
The Yellow Green Farmers Market is open year-round on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.ygfarmersmarket.com.
