Blaine Farmers Market going indoors for the rest of the year

For the first time, the Blaine Farmers Market will continue into the fall, using the old Wolten and Montfort grocery space at 648 Peace Portal Drive to host some vendors out of the weather.

Starting Saturday, October 24, about 10 market vendors will be open in that building, which is next to the Black Forest Steak House. Depending on weather, some vendors will also set up at the G and H Street plazas, said Donna Raimey, Blaine Chamber of Commerce program and events coordinator. The market will continue to be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., she said.

The space could potentially host more vendors once its overhead sprinkler system is installed, as city code would allow vendors to get farther from the door. Mike Mulder, who owns the property through Nimbus Properties, said he’d allow the market to use the space through the end of the year for free.

The Blaine Farmers Market has grown this year through the chamber of commerce’s effort. Raimey said the chamber put a lot of effort into the market because there’s little else going on in town.

“It’s such a positive thing for our community to have and it’s a sign of life downtown that we desperately need,” she said. “I think everyone was just really excited to be a part of something at a time when nothing is really going on.”

Nimbus bought the property in January 2019 from the Jacaranda Land Corporation and the company is nearly finished renovating. Mulder said the interior is like a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. With the Covid-19 pandemic and border closure, Mulder is waiting for the right tenant or opportunity,
he said.