Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market Gets An Upgrade

World-famous weekly street fair kicks off a new look encouraging visitors to discover local flavor
Three decades after its inception, the world-famous Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market is taking it to the next level.
The Downtown Association information booth has undergone a makeover with a new look and a beautiful spread of merchandise including trucker hats, tees, and kids’ wear. Over the next several months, the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association will unveil improvements that build on the market’s success, including better access and infrastructure; technology that puts shoppers in real-time contact with farmers and their produce; and augmented hands-on educational opportunities for people of all ages.
The Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market is also offering the monthly “Fresh Picked” Concert Series presented by the San Luis Obispo Collection at the Harvest Stage, located in the Union Bank parking lot, 995 Higuera Street. The band featured on the stage for the June 4 concert will be Diego’s Umbrella.
“After an internal review, we realized that there were a few things that we could do to really take our market to the next level,” said Downtown Association Executive Director, Dominic Tartaglia, whose organization oversees the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market. “After thirty-two years holding this event we had to dig deep to see what those improvements were but, ultimately, we developed a strategy to make the user experience more pleasant and the vendors’ experience more profitable. We want this to be a market that locals continue to attend each week and be proud of when they bring guests with them.”
While improvements roll out, the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market will forever remain:  all about LOCAL DIVERSE in its offerings and appeal dedicated to HEALTH and WELLNESS honoring of its rich HISTORY an unforgettable EXPERIENCE, and the HEART of San Luis Obispo and the week
Established to provide the community with a positive gathering space that also supports local businesses, “Thursday Night Promotions” (as it is officially named) began in 1983 when the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association closed six blocks of Higuera Street from 6-9 PM to offer entertainment, special activities, food and shopping every Thursday night. Not long after, farmers were invited to sell their harvest and the event soon became known as the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market.
Since then, Thursday Night Promotions has developed into a weekly, year-round street fair that is consistently named among the nation’s best, complete with top-shelf entertainment; abundant local produce, proteins and grains; family activities; delectable prepared foods; value-added products; and a bicycle valet.
“Higuera Street is truly this community’s ‘living room,’” said Pierre Rademaker, longtime resident and owner of Rademaker Design, “and Thursday Night has become our way of sharing it with family, friends and visitors.”
“Every week, I look forward to Farmers’,” said Amber Bixler, owner of Elevenses Mind & Body Therapy. “My senses are stimulated by the aroma of delicious food from the street vendors, the sound of local musicians and the bright colors and textures of locally-grown foods. This is one reason I love SLO: We are a community that fosters family-run farms and businesses. There’s no better way to showcase that support than through our Thursday Night Farmers’ Market.”
“The Farmers’ Market is an economic and tourism juggernaut, to be sure,” said former City Manager for San Luis Obispo, Ken Hampian. “But more than that, it’s a civic gathering place, an opportunity for local residents to interact.”
“From day one, the Farmers’ Market has meant so much to us,” said Mike White, owner of Boo Boo Records, one of Rolling Stone magazine’s top record stores in the nation. “Aside from the statewide (and beyond) spotlight it brought to SLO that has resulted in year-round attention, the actual Thursday night spike in business has been huge. Really, the Farmers’ Market took SLO to the next level in terms of our ranking among small towns in America and Boo Boo’s is forever grateful.”
For more information about improvements to the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market please visit DowntownSLO.com/Farmers-Market or call the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association at 805-541-0286.