ESCONDIDO — A new Sunday morning farmers market aims to attract more local customers and vendors to its prime downtown location.
The Hidden Certified Farmers Market first opened earlier this year at 123 Woodward Avenue between Grape Day Park and James A. Stone Swimming Pool. The market, adjacent to the California Center for the Arts, operates rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday.
According to main organizer Mike Johnson, the location is ideal due to the ample parking with multiple electric vehicle charging stations and its proximity to a park, Interstate 15, state Route 78 and the Escondido Transit Center.
“It’s an ideal location,” Johnson said.
Johnson and his team explored the feasibility of opening another farmers’ market in Escondido for over a year before the concept came to fruition.
The Escondido Arts Partnership already runs a farmers market on Juniper Street between West Valley Parkway and Grand Avenue on Tuesdays from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. While Johnson appreciates the Tuesday market, he noted that many of Escondido’s residents work across the county and don’t get home in time to attend.

With an additional market on Sundays, Johnson hopes to serve more locals who can enjoy the farmers market on their day off without competing directly with the popular Poway and Vista markets on Saturdays.
Johnson also wants to demonstrate how farmers markets can be more affordable than grocery stores.
“You’re buying produce directly from farmers, cutting the middleman out,” he said.
The market currently averages 17 to 20 vendors and has room to grow in the large parking lot. Johnson hopes to attract more craft vendors, cottage food vendors who make their goods at home, and fruit farmers, particularly those from nearby Escondido, Valley Center, and Fallbrook, who often travel farther to coastal markets.
“If the vendors are here, the people will come,” Johnson said.
The Hidden Certified Farmers Market is still in its infancy, having been in operation for only five months. Johnson said it typically takes about six months to a year for a market to gain popularity.

In addition to attracting more vendors and customers, Johnson hopes the market will bring more variety to Escondido’s food options by offering more organic, vegan, and vegetarian choices. He also aims to make Escondido more appealing to new businesses in the downtown area and beyond.
“Escondido used to be a hub for activities — we had the roller rink, the Family Fun Center, another movie theater, the mall was better, but all these things kind of drifted away,” he said.
Through the farmers market, Johnson hopes to dispel any negative misconceptions about Escondido.
“This is a great city,” Johnson said. “It’s nice, it’s real mellow, it’s like a big, small town — and we’re right next to a major freeway.”
While Escondido is technically the second largest city in North County behind Oceanside, with more than 151,000 residents, Johnson believes it’s even larger when the unincorporated areas surrounding the city are counted.

“It’s so diverse here — it’s such a nice community,” he added. “Escondido residents deserve better.”
Johnson, who ran for City Council two years ago intending to make positive changes in his community, now seeks to make a difference with the new farmers market.
“Just by doing this, I can give back to the community and build something that’s good for the city,” he said. “We need something like this.”
For more information about the Hidden Certified Farmers Market or to apply as a vendor, visit hiddenfarmersmarket.com.
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