The Pacific Beach Farmers Market on Tuesdays is alive and well and moving forward with a new management team.
Discover Pacific Beach, the community’s business improvement district, operates the farmers market on Garnet Avenue and Bayard Street, which runs from 2-7 p.m. every Tuesday.
In its March newsletter, Discover Pacific Beach announced the hiring of four new market staff members: Art Zadorozhny and Vanessa Bernal as program managers; Cherish Williams as content marketing coordinator; and Bruette Martin as a new market staffer.
Sunny Lee, Discover Pacific Beach’s executive director, said the farmers market was changed little by the pandemic.
“The only thing the pandemic really did to the market was changing some of the health protocols,” Lee said. “Nothing really changed other than people had to wear masks, and no dogs were allowed.”
The farmers market’s previous manager moved to Spain so Lee said, “We took on Zadorozhny, who’s been plugged into many of San Diego’s farmers markets in Little Italy, North Park, and Hillcrest, to help out.”
PB’s Tuesday Farmers Market, which opened in 2011, was closed in late March of 2021 when the City suspended all farmers market permits due to COVID. The market was allowed to reopen a couple of months later on May 19, when the governor’s office ordered California farmers markets to stay open along with grocery stores as essential services.
Asked if there are plans to expand crafts at the Tuesday market, Lee replied, “No, we have a lot of crafters. We want to do less crafting. It’s a farmers market.”
There are, however, a couple of changes that could be coming soon for the market.
“We’re really looking forward to our permit, which allows us to expand the market farther than the existing footprint on Bayard, allowing us to go all the way down to Mission Boulevard,” said Lee. “We may well have a section in our market where everything is vegan.”
Of the importance of the market, Lee said, “It builds community, and is just an inclusive place for anybody in our neighborhood to attend, shop or vend, showcasing anything they want to.”
Discover Pacific Beach has wanted to change the location of the Tuesday market but has run into some resistance with that notion.
“The feedback we’ve been getting is that people want to see us move the market onto Garnet,” Lee said. “That’s been a bit of a challenge for us before, and still is. But we’d like to keep our options open. We want to see the market evolve.”
In other matters, Lee noted the year-long pilot parking district on a portion of Garnet Avenue in the business district has been approved by the City. “We’re waiting for parking meters to be installed right now, and permitting to be finalized with the City and the California Coastal Commission,” she said. “That’s what’s holding up (implementation of) the parking district.”
Regarding the future of Discover Pacific Beach emerging from the pandemic, Lee is optimistic noting “things are feeling more normal” with people not wearing masks as much, and meetings and events beginning to resume in-person.
“PB businesses are still recovering from having a lack of staffing, but most of our businesses seem to have stuck around, and the ones that haven’t, they’ve gotten new tenants in there,” said Lee.
Lee said Discover Pacific Beach this year is “planning to bring back our full roster of events. I’m excited for this year in PB. I’m really thankful for our new staff who’ve worked hard and are making a real impact, not only in our community but helping to reinvigorate our board and our activities that we’re looking forward to.”
