Several months ago Sidney and Monica, who run our Tenant Services department, came up with the idea of having the San Ramon Farmers’ Market move to Bishop Ranch. The market wasn’t able to continue operating where it had been, which was a pity given that it was on an actual farm. They needed a new home. Soon, Sid and Monica brought in Harv Singh from Whole Foods—he’s a San Ramon native and local organic food specialist who moonlights as a farmers’ market operator extraordinaire.
At Bishop Ranch, we are primarily focused on creating a high-quality professional environment and know very little about the world of organic famers. Harv inspired our confidence right off the bat, and after our first meeting I could feel that this was going to be a success. Harv’s overall concept for the market seemed to emphasize all of the high-quality elements we had seen at farmers’ markets regionally and lacked the elements that sometimes reduce the authenticity of a market. The most important element of Harv’s concept was that the market would be focused almost exclusively on food that is both organic and local. It would be focused and would not be a mix of crafts and other things. Also, he was able to organize both a weekend market and a weekday market for tenants and locals to enjoy during business hours.
Last weekend we had our third weekend market and I couldn’t have hoped for a greater success ("like" the San Ramon Farmers' Market on Facebook, and check out what reviewers are saying on Yelp). Harv really created a buzz that attracted plenty of people (take a look at my short video) and he came through with truly authentic vendors that are there for the right reasons. Credit also has to go out to Sidney and Monica for organizing things on our side, along with Wendy, who manages the property. Also, all the folks at the city were a huge help to us in getting this done.
Some might wonder what we get out of inviting the market onto our site. For Bishop Ranch, moving the market here was all about supporting the market as a local amenity and promoting a centralized community location for San Ramon. Through the adaptive use of an office parking lot for promoting community, we are trying to plant the seeds that will be central to our future City Center development that we are all so eagerly awaiting.
