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In recent years, farmers markets seem to be popping up all over the Valley, with nearly every community and neighborhood banding together to organize a weekly event. That was the case in Tempe earlier this year when Tempe Community Action Agency, a nonprofit organization, announced plans to launch a year-round farmers market in downtown Tempe.
Now, less than a year later, the organization has decided to shut down the market in order to “reassesses its future viability.”
See also: 19 Farmers Markets in Metro Phoenix: A Guide to Fall Hours
“As an organization, we remain committed to making fresh, nutritious foods available in our community,” says TCAA executive director Bill Epps in an e-mail. “We’re glad we tested this model, and we will use the experience gained as we plan for future programs.”
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At least part of the decision to close the market comes from the event’s location. The Tempe Community Market was held Sunday mornings at 620 North Mill Avenue, under the Mill Avenue bridge. That location “limited its schedule and proved not ideal to vendors,” according to the organization.
In the past two months, the market was closed three times due to other scheduled events in the area.
The closure of the Tempe Community Market leaves the community without a weekly outdoor farmers market. Alternative options include the Tempe Farmers Market, an indoor market open daily at 805 South Farmer Ave, and the bi-weekly farmers market at Arizona State University.
For more information about farmers markets in the Valley, check out our list of 19 Farmers Markets in Metro Phoenix: A Guide to Fall Hours.
