Sunday was the first Clement Street Farmer’s Market, taking place from 9am until 2pm on Clement between 2nd and 4th Avenues. And despite the heavy fog and looming rain, there was plenty of people checking it out and buying.
We arrived around 12:30 and the market was bustling. There is a great variety of vendors in the market offering organic fruits and vegetables, olive oil, tacos, organic eggs, honey, gluten-free baked goods, fresh juices and much more.
Clement Street’s Q Restaurant had a booth, selling their tasty pulled pork tacos.
There was plenty to do for kids as well. At the corner of 2nd Avenue there was a mechanical bull ride, and at the 4th Avenue end, a bouncy house and a giant, great white shark slide.
Even by 12:30pm, many of the vendors were sold out, posting signs and thanking shoppers for supporting the first week of the market.
Attendance was a mix of residents and visitors to the neighborhood, many of whom were asking vendors how long the market had been going on. Word will spread quickly that the Richmond District now has their own Sunday market.
Local merchants along Clement were also seeing an uptick in business thanks to the market. We stopped in Cumaica Coffee on the corner of 3rd and Clement, who said they were having a record day thanks to the market. The staff in Seedstore Clothing said they had also seen a nice stream of traffic into their store.
It was a great first week for the market. We’re looking forward to it being a weekly event in the neighborhood.
Sarah B.
We were there. It was GREAT. Lots of good produce and other goods. Interested to hear how residents and businesses think it went as feedback comes in. Wish the weather had been better but well be back. Got some fantastic nectarines.
One gripe – I think the bouncy house and slide are fun but too loud. That intersection was a bad experience because of the generators. It’s not necessary and really detracts from the vibe on that end. That’s my 2 cents on that. Let’s get rid of that. It’s not a theme park. And music should be acoustic only.
It was great! Got all the things I needed to go right home and make some ratatouille. Such a feel-good experience to buy fresh, local produce in a community atmosphere, then walk home to turn it into a delicious meal. So glad to have this market in the neighborhood!
We went as well, and were pleasantly surprised. Came out to support what we thought would be a few carts, and wow, it was a real market spanning two blocks! Bought some produce, hummus, and holy moly the vegan indian food was amazing! We tasted the samosas and the eggplant naan, and it was to die for.
We cooked dinner with what we bought. We’ll definitely be back again!
We went as well, what a great turnout! Got some fruit and vegetables to augment our homemade brunch.
I have to echo Kayvaan and say that the bounce house and other kid stuff was loud and really unnecessary. Fun for the inaugural market but hopefully not part of it going forward.
The vendors I talked to were nice and seemed excited to be there.
Definitely a fun (and delicious) addition to my Sunday.
Great success, great produce (lower prices than Ferry market). Love the raw olives, will try their oil next. Will go each week. Also could do without the noisy ugly bouncy thing and silly bull ride. It’s a farmer’s market, not a carnival, please. Hurrah, Clement!
p.s. blueberry lovers: one grower’s crop was at end of season, but another said they start their’s late so there should be fresh organic BB’s for 4 more weeks.
We thought it was a great success for a first market; lots of good vendors, lots of good energy. Looking forward to having the sellers back next sunday! If the first market is any indicator, this should be a great addition to the existing businesses on Clement, and a real positive addition to the community.
bouncy house no bueno.
I went, too, got some excellent peaches and lamb stew meat for dinner. Next week I won’t have breakfast before I go, I’ll just hit the food carts! It was really great.
ixnay on the loud generators/bouncy house.
Another “no” vote for the bouncy house / slide. It’s too much. Fill that space with more vendors!
Loved the market! We need more community events like this in the neighborhood. I didn’t personally have a problem with the bouncy house (I guess people with kids like it) but I can imagine that the very loud generators didn’t do any favors for the ears of the folks who live right near the market, especially early on a Sunday morning!
Someone should tell Cinderella bakery to get it on the action (and maybe Campbell’s Irish bakery too).
I do wonder why generators are necessary– we do have electrical service round these parts. Surely someone can figure out a hookup with an extension cord.
Here’s a thought– how about putting the stands in the middle, facing outward, instead of on the outsides facing inward? It would make better use of the sidewalk space, when there are lots of people, and it would integrate better with the existing businesses.
Anyway, it was great.
Alai,
Events have different sets of requirements than residential/retail, in the case of large jumpers, they may need more power than just a few extension cords (or the wall outlets they are plugging into can provide).
As to the reverse layout, there is likely some sort of rule which prevents them from flipping it around. In many cases it’s fire dept access or the like (or even vendor parking desires). I had worked a street fair before with this “center lane” approach until it came to the food booths then they had to switch back to something akin to what we saw on Sunday. Note that the vendors who were cooking food also had to have a considerable space clear around their cooking area.
Just food for thought.
Ben, local street fairs like the upcoming Fillmore Street fair have the layout Alai suggested–the food, bands, and crafts displays are all on the inside (i.e., in the street), leaving the sidewalks for pedestrians. Also, people can walk into the stores. If it meets fire department codes there, why not on Clement?
Is there a more “formal” place to lodge a complaint about the bouncy house racket or will they get the message here?
You can email Peter Lauterborn (peter.lauterborn@sfgov.org) at Supervisor Mar’s office – he has spearheaded the Farmer’s Market project and has indicated he should be contacted for comments and suggestions.
Sarah B.