Farmers and vendors gathered every Friday afternoon in the parking lot at the corner of South I and West Ocean Ave.
“It was our main source of groceries for the past few years," said Jacqui Bravo, a Lompoc Farmers Market customer.
Now that parking lot will be empty once again.
Lompoc Farmers Market announcing the permanent closure via Facebook. The farmers market manager told KSBY it was a difficult decision to make with not enough community support to keep operations going the result was shutting down completely.
“My first reaction on hearing it was what a loss for the community, disappointment a loss of a resource for our farmers and our community to access their food, and a loss of a staple that’s been in Lompoc for decades," said Shelby Wild, Route One Farmers Market executive director.
“It's disappointing, selfishly because it was super convenient for me and it was such an important resource for us but the vendors were amazing and they deserved better than that, they deserved a little more notice it’s an important source of income for them," added Bravo.
Wild is the executive director of Route One Farmers Market in Vandenberg Village and remembers growing up going to Lompoc Farmers Market.
“My first apartment was across the street from that market I went every single Friday it was a huge part of my life and the beginning of a love affair with farmers markets, in general, that’s led me to my current job," explained Wild.
Wild said Route One Farmers Market is looking to work with the city of Lompoc to develop potential solutions to make sure residents in the downtown area have access to a farmers market.
KSBY tried reaching out to the manager of the Lompoc Farmers Market for an on-camera interview but she declined that request.
In an official statement Route One Farmers Market told KSBY:
“We would like to express our deep gratitude to everyone who made the Lompoc certified farmers market the wonderful staple it was for so many years. Thank you for your years of dedication to local food and farmers in the Lompoc Valley and Santa Barbara County. We are grateful for your commitment."
