The Park Ridge farmers market will remain where it is – in the former AT&T building parking lot – through this year.
Where it will set up next year, though, is unknown.
At the Feb. 18 City Council meeting, City Manager Joseph Gilmore said he had recently gotten news that Reign Capital, the owners of the former AT&T space at 15 S. Prairie Ave. in Park Ridge, will allow the market to remain there in the parking lot one more year.
Earlier this month, Gilmore had announced the market would likely have to move. The financial firm indicated plans to develop the parking lot. In recent years, the landlord has been reluctant to host the market, which runs on Saturdays from Memorial Day through October.
Farmers market officials had scrambled to find a new location, hesitant to partner with the library to hold it on their land or the Park District to hold it in a park. So, the one-year extension for use of the parking lot was good news for market organizers, officials explained.
“Pretty much everyone … would prefer to stay where the farmers market is,” said Gilmore.
However, he emphasized that city leaders still need to find another space.
“Part of the agreement (with Reign) is that this will be the last season,” Gilmore said. “They do have the intention of developing the property.”
He said he would introduce the topic again in coming months to discuss possible future locations.
Brenda Holcomb, a member of the Farmers Market Committee, emphasized the new site needed to be dedicated to the market and cannot change throughout the year.
“As we look forward to the 2026 season though, I wanted to make sure all City Council members are aware of how critical it is that the farmers market is at the same time and on the same day of the week,” she said.
Holcomb explained that both sellers and buyers need the space to be available at the same time and same place each week to prepare. The market, she said, is different from a one-off event and annual festivity.
“The farmers market event is a different event than other events in the community and that’s because it’s like a retail event. Patrons expect posted hours of operation. As the marketing chairperson … trying to communicate that nuance to the public will be extremely confusing, and it’s likely to decrease satisfaction and I know we don’t want that.”
Stephanie Goodrich, another member of the Farmers Market Committee, said the need for standing hours of operation is why it cannot be on library or park land — both of which could be used for other events during the year.
“It has to be city property,” Goodrich said. “If it’s possible to have it on city property uptown that would be optimal. We don’t want to be tied to the Park District or to the library where we would need to seek approval to have it every week.”
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.
