By Doug Curlee | Editor at Large

The Kiwanis Club of Grantville-Allied Gardens is bringing a once-a-week farmers market to the shopping center where Albertsons closed Allied Gardens’ only grocery store for lack of business.

Kiwanis, along with the owners of the shopping center, have arranged for the operator of the well-known Ocean Beach Farmers Market to set up business in the shopping center parking lot every Friday from 4 to 8 p.m., beginning May 15.

Oceans Beach market manager David Klaman may set up as many as 40 stands and booths in the parking lot in front of the former Albertsons space, with primary emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables as well as arts and crafts and some of the booths you normally see at street fairs and carnivals everywhere.

Center operations manager Linda Lasher says it’s a good interim solution.

“We think it’s a great idea, because it should serve to remind people that there is still a reason to come to the center, at least once a week,” Lasher said. “We’re waiving any fees we might have charged others for the use of the property.”

All the needed permits have been helped through the process by Councilmember Scott Sherman’s office and Joe Huston and Jay Wilson of Kiwanis, along with what Huston refers to as “the usual suspects” that get involved in such projects for Kiwanis.

Kiwanis will take a minimal share of the proceeds for the club’s several other ongoing community projects, and Kiwanis will be named the official sponsor of the market.

As this unfolds, Lasher says there are still active talks going on with several possible replacements for Albertsons, but nothing solid has materialized yet.

“Nothing we can really talk publicly about right now,” Lasher said. “We’re still working hard on it, and we have hopes there’ll be something soon we can talk about.”

—Write to Doug Curlee at [email protected].