Tower District Farmers Market

It’s time to bring a certified Farmers Market to the Tower District!

The Tower District Marketing Committee is partnering with the California Fresh Farmers Market Association to bring a weekly street closure farmers market to the Tower District every Thursday evening. This market will utilize Olive Ave from Wishon to Echo and present the community with a unique family friendly farmers market experience tailored to the Tower District community. It will feature produce, baked goods, food trucks, merchants, live music and a beer garden for adults 21+.

California Fresh is a 501(c)3 certified farmers market and for 22 years has operated multiple weekly farmers markets here in Fresno at River Park and Community Regional Hospital sites. These farmers markets bring life to business districts and communities and bring broad economic opportunities for all.

* Your GoFundMe donation will be tax deductible and Cal Fresh will provide donation receipts to supporters when the funds are claimed.

This farmers market proposal has been in the works since Fall 2021. We held a community input meeting in January 2022 and finally we are ready to bring this project to you, the community, for your financial support for its final funding to launch. The startup cost of this market for its first year of operation is over $80k and we are working hard to raise the funds to bring this program to life.

*We have already received $60k in funds from sponsors including District 1 Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria, District 3 Councilmember Miguel Arias, District 1 Councilmember Elect Annalisa Perea, Cal Viva Health, Sequoia Brewing Co., The California Wellness Foundation, as well as generous donations from Tower community members.

We are now asking for you help to finish securing the funding to make this dream a reality. Please consider donating today and sharing this fundraising effort with fellow members of our community that would like to help support this market.

Questions you might have:

Q: How much will year number 2, 3 and so on cost?

A: $1 to renew the annual contract. California Fresh is a non-profit farmers market association and the cost of sustained operations of their markets are paid by the vendors that participate. The only large cost to our non-profit business association, the Tower District Marketing Committee, is the initial start up costs and first year’s operational costs to get the market established and sustainable as well as the costs associated with providing live music and entertainment.

Q: Who will ensure the market works well for the Tower District and its businesses?

A: The Tower District Marketing Committee will hold the contract and oversight rights to ensure that the markets operations add value to our business corridor and for our residents. We will also form a community advisory board to make sure we are accounting for the needs of residents and other property owners in the Tower District. We will have the right to make changes to the market to meet the needs of our businesses and residents through monthly meetings with Cal Fresh.

The Tower District Marketing Committee, a registered 501(c) business association, has been serving our community for 24 years, working with the City of Fresno to advocate for and invest in infrastructure such as our string lighting, public trash cans, bike racks, etc., as well as worked to develop and secure business grants for our local businesses. We have also served as the organizing body for Tower events such as the annual Mardi Gras Parade, Pooch Parade, Taste and Toast of Tower, pub crawls, and other festivals.

Q: What impact will it have on movement on Olive on market days?

A: Olive Avenue will be closed to traffic on Thursdays starting at 2 pm to allow for set up and will reopen to traffic by 9 pm. The actual market will operate from 4 pm to 8 pm. Bus routes and all other traffic will be detoured during this time. A soft closure will exist at Palm/ Olive with hard closures at Echo/ Olive and Wishon/ Olive.

Q: Who can I contact to find out more or with concerns?

A: You can reach out to the Tower District Marketing Committee by email here and we will try to address your questions, or concerns in a timely manner.