Elmhurst Farmers Market Moving To Church

ELMHURST, IL – The Elmhurst Farmers Market, which has been at the northeast corner of York and Vallette streets for years, is moving.

At least one resident is concerned about it.

In June, the market is set to reopen at the parking lot of Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, 149 W. Brush Hill Road. It is next to Elmhurst Hospital, west of Route 83.

The current parking lot for the market is 60 spaces, which are also used by patrons of York and Vallette businesses, according to the church's request for a temporary event permit from the city.

The church's site has parking for 228 cars and more room for vendors to park at their stalls, something that is not possible for most now, the memo said.

"When our church was being planned and built, our leaders had a vision of creating a space that would be welcoming to the entire community," Justin Paul Lawrence, the church's executive director, said in a news release. "Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of hosting the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, providing vaccine clinics during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting community blood drives and offering space for various City of Elmhurst meetings. We see hosting the Farmers Market as an exciting new chapter in that same spirit — creating a vibrant and welcoming place where neighbors can gather and support local producers."

Other elements of the market will remain the same, including hours and days of operation and regulations, Lawrence said. It will be on Wednesdays starting June 4 and lasting through Oct. 29, bringing produce, local vendors and food trucks to Elmhurst.

In its memo, the church said the new farmers market site had the support of the York and Vallette Business Association, which had long sponsored the event, and neighbors such as Park Place of Elmhurst retirement community, The Indigo at Elmhurst assisted living facility and the Essex Place Condo Association.

In an email to Patch, Elmhurst resident Katie Duffy opposed the move.

"(The longtime) convenient location allows many residents to walk or bike to the market as it is close to neighborhoods and the Prairie Path," she said. "It is also a fairly centralized location in town."

By contrast, she said, the new site makes walking and biking there prohibitive for residents.

In an interview, Mimi Stanton, who is with the church, said the business association did not want to hold the event any longer, so it was looking for some organization to take it over. That's when the church stepped up, Stanton said.

She also said residents near the new site are "very excited" about the farmers market coming. They include the Park Place retirement community, she said.

In an email to Patch on Thursday, Lawrence, the church's executive director, said the church started speaking with the farmers market organizers more than a decade ago about moving it. He said the event had been run by a few local business owners who were overwhelmed with the growing market and their own businesses.

He acknowledged that while the church was not in a "cute neighborhood" or on the Prairie Path, it would now have more space and visibility on Roosevelt Road. In that spot, it is a boon to vendors and new customers, who would not otherwise see the market in its current location.