Midtown Farmers Market expands by 1 pedestrian-only block in boost for Sacramento economy
Sacramento’s Midtown Farmers Market grew by one block on Saturday — frustrating some drivers headed east on J Street but delighting pedestrians, produce-purchasers and small business owners.
The expansion extends the market from five blocks to six blocks closed to vehicle traffic. On 20th between I and J streets, drivers will be barred for much of Saturday. The Midtown Association said the additional space will allow it to add about 50 new vendors selling, during warmer months beginning March 1, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Before the expansion, the market usually had around 250 vendors.
The new block wasn’t at capacity on opening day, with 11 stands and less foot traffic than the more established blocks south. But, as the morning went on, more and more foot traffic moved north across J Street. Massiel Hidalgo was one of the new vendors, slinging hand-crafted spice blends in front of a sign that bore the name of her business: Spiced Up.
She’s already a vendor at farmers markets in south Sacramento, Roseville and Vacaville, she said. But she’d been eagerly trying to add the Midtown Farmers Market to the mix.
“Two years on the waiting list,” she said with a laugh. “I love this market.”
While Hidalgo pitched the benefits of her spices (which, she noted, also include a chai and multiple salt-rim options for beverages), James Oakes stood before a table piled with crushed ice and vacuum-sealed fish.
The mechanical engineering student and part-time fishmonger said he “hated fish” before he started the sales position at the Auburn-based Little Fish Company. With all the access to fresh seafood, he’s learned that a tiger can’t change its stripes, but perhaps a tigerfish can: He recommends the grouper.
“Without farmers markets, we really wouldn’t have a company,” he said. “They really give us an opportunity to sell our product and reach out to people.”
The Midtown Association’s Saturday market draws 3,000 to 6,000 people each weekend. Traci Rockefeller Cusack, a representative for the Midtown Association, said it brings in $2.2 million in economic benefits for the city each year, both to sellers at the market itself and to nearby businesses who are visited by the crowds. Increasing the number of vendors and city blocks by 20% is sure to further boost that economic benefit.
Calls for more pedestrian-friendly spaces in California’s capital city have increased over the past year. The Active Transportation Commission has asked for the reinstatement of “slow streets” pioneered in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sacramento City Council members have said that the Department of Public Works needs more funding to make safety improvements while expressing doubt about where that funding might come from.
Some advocates have pointed to the farmers market as an example of how restricting car access to certain areas is not only safer, but can also be a boon for the local economy.
The one-block expansion creates one more point of conflict between pedestrians and vehicles, however. Although drivers are fully routed around the K Street blocks of the market, drivers are still allowed to proceed east through the intersection of J and 20th streets, where the volume of pedestrians using the crosswalks on J leads to delays for those in cars. At one point, the driver of a black SUV waited 23 seconds while 39 people streamed across the street, then decided not to yield to the 40th and 41st pedestrians.
Isaac Gonzalez of Slow Down Sacramento has argued that traffic should be completely detoured during market hours to avoid such conflicts.
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 2:08 PM.
