Liberty Public Market in Point Loma will soon have a farmers market to complement it.
Joining the public market at Liberty Station sometime in early May will be a full-blown farmers market offering locally generated produce.
“We’ve teamed up with six local farmers to start the new market,” said Liberty Public Market general manager Josh Zanow, who pointed out running a successful produce market is “a tough game.”
Noting a produce stand at the public market didn’t succeed initially, Zanow commented, “If the shelves are half full – you don’t sell. If they’re totally filled up – you don’t sell out.”
Ron LaChance, who runs a few farmers markets around town, said Thursday, May 4 is being eyed as the target date for the opening of the new Liberty Public Market Farmers Market.
“It will be open every Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. year-round, rain or shine,” added LaChance, noting the farmers market will begin on the public market’s outside patio.
“The bulk of the farmers market will be on the lawn adjacent to the Liberty Station Public Market by the public green off the golf course,” he said. “It will flow almost up to the gate of the Liberty Public Market.”
LaChance said the new farmers market will include live music and plenty of artisans and crafters. Of course, the centerpiece, will be produce by local growers.
“We’ll have approximately 25 different farms represented,” he said, noting their product mix will include cheese, honey, flowers, and meat and fish as well as produce.
“There will be 35 speciality foods – olive oils, salsas, desserts, baked goods, etc.,” LaChance said, pointing out, “There won’t be any cooked foods, the idea being that there are plenty of restaurants to have dinner or drinks here at Liberty Station.”
Above all, LaChance promises the produce will be fresh at Liberty Public Market’s Farmers Market.
“The beauty is that the produce will be picked that morning, right from the vine, by the farmers who come to sell it that day at 2 p.m.,” he said. “It wasn’t picked four weeks ago and then shipped.”
Zanow said Thursday was picked as an optimal in-between day to draw more people, as opposed to weekends, which are busy enough already.
“Saturdays and Sundays (at the public market) are already crazy, and the idea was to pick a less crowded day we might capitalize on to draw people into the farmers and public markets,” he said. “Plus, there’s so many big farmers markets on weekends, many farmers could not commit to coming to ours if we had it on weekends.”
Zanow added the farmers market will be open except for national holidays, like Thanksgiving.
Closed in March 1997, Liberty Station is the 361-acre, mixed-use redevelopment of the former Naval Training Center. The project includes a retail and commercial district, a promenade focused on nonprofit activities, an educational district, a residential district, a hotel district, an office district, and a park/open space area along the boat channel.
Open for more than a year, Liberty Public Market food emporium spans 25,000-square-feet in Liberty Station. This massive project from Blue Bridge Hospitality open every day houses 27 artisan vendors. The market’s footprint also includes ample outdoor space, including multiple dining decks and a 3,000-square-foot dog-friendly patio.