The 'market' in Roselle is changing
The future of the Main Street Market in downtown Roselle is up for discussion.
The outdoor summer market that occupies Main Street, between Prospect Street and Roselle Road, will change. It could be replaced by a French market. It could become a hybrid of itself and a farmers market.
Whatever the case, village officials said they agree on one thing -- they want some kind of a market downtown.
The Main Street Market, which operated on Saturdays from June to September, was organized by Roselle residents Amy Reuter and Julie Puntch.
But the market has experienced low attendance and has been unable to attract enough fresh produce vendors, officials said.
"That was the problem," Trustee Sam Tornatore said Wednesday. "People are looking for a product to take home and cook for dinner. That seems to be what we're lacking."
Though the market attracted many other types of vendors, fresh produce and food vendors are needed to keep residents coming back, he said.
"How many purses can you buy every Saturday?" Tornatore said.
In the near future, the village board will be looking at four proposals to revamp the market.
A proposal from Reuter and Puntch calls for keeping the market the same but changing its days of operation to August through October.
Len Buonincontro who owns Rock Star Salon and Spa on Main Street, is proposing a Local Harvest Market that would feature farmers from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota that farm using mostly organic methods.
A third option includes a "hybrid" between the Main Street Market and Local Harvest.
Finally, the village board will consider a French market managed by a company with corporate roots in Paris. The company, Bensidoun, operates successful markets in Wheaton, Villa Park, Geneva, Forest Park, Mokena and Chicago.
"I want to see proposals from (local residents)," Mayor Gayle Smolinski said. "But if that's not going to work out, there's the alternative to bring in that company … Everyone talks about the Wheaton French Market."
The village board likely will discuss the issue at a board meeting in March.