Often used as a party and wedding venue, the elegant courtyard at the Art Center of Corpus Christi will host the Downtown Farmers Market each Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. beginning August 5.
Downtown Farmers Market has outgrown La Retama Park, so organizers are moving it to the courtyard at the Art Center of Corpus Christi at 100 N. Shoreline Blvd. in Corpus Christi as of August 5. Along with more space for vendors, customers will have access to restrooms and 200 free parking spaces.
Announcement of the parking received the biggest round of applause from the audience gathered at a press conference in La Retama park Wednesday, July 22. Downtown Farmers Markets are held every Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
Vendors set up shop for the first time in 2012 in the parking lot by the former Yin-Yang Fandango and The Tango Tea Room. About 200 people attended each week. It moved to La Retama Park last year and has grown to attract about 600 people each week.
The small park, which is about to become a construction site as renovations begin, will still play host to the monthly ArtWalk, though that event will be moving soon as work begins.
“We have outgrown the space completely,” said Grow Local South Texas executive director Aislynn Campbell. “We would have to shut down streets to grow and I don’t think that’s going to happen on a weekly basis.”
Always an issue anywhere downtown, parking has been a headache since the beginning. Cars fill up drive through teller lanes at the nearby Bank of America once it closes for the day. The Art Center of Corpus Christi has its own designated lots, which hold up to 200 vehicles.
“The Art Center has all the things we have always wished for,” said market manager Jeff Rodgers.
With its red stone courtyard surrounded by white stucco and an elegant staircase, the Art Center's space is often used for parties and weddings. It will now be the weekly home of vendors selling a variety of locally grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, breads, jams and jelly, honey, artisans and live music.
