Roselle market may move off Main Street

Roselle's Main Street Market is staying. But it's still unclear if the outdoor market will remain downtown.

Roselle village officials Monday unanimously decided to accept another proposal from Roselle residents Julie Puntch and Amy Reuter, who have been running the market for the past two years.

While the village board wants to renew its contract with Puntch and Reuter, it is concerned about parking in the village's growing downtown. With more businesses opening in the new Town Center -- especially the upcoming Starbucks Coffee -- parking has become a concern.

"With the addition of Starbucks, I don't see how we can keep it on Main Street," Trustee Terry Wittman said.

For the past two years, the outdoor summer market has occupied Main Street, between Prospect Street and Roselle Road. The village board asked market organizers if they would consider moving to Depot Park, on Irving Park Road and Park Street. Reuter said they'd be willing to consider it.

Still, some trustees still favor the idea of keeping it downtown.

"I'd like to keep it on Main Street and see how it goes," Trustee Ron Sass said. "(But) Depot Park is a possibility."

The village board has advised staff to work with market organizers to determine the best location. Besides that, the market's time of operation could change as well. The new proposal calls for operating on Saturdays, from mid-August to mid-October. Previously, it operated from June to September. Also, Puntch and Reuter have agreed to pay for all of the market's advertising and marketing costs. In the past, the village has contributed some of its hotel and motel tax money.

While the flavor of the market will stay the same this year, it may change in upcoming years. Another Roselle resident, Len Buonincontro, who owns Rock Star Salon and Spa on Main Street, has proposed a Local Harvest Market that would feature farmers from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota who farm using mostly organic methods. That proposal did not end up on the table.

"To put that together in a short period of time is difficult," he told the village board.

However, it's possible that Buonincontro may work with Puntch and Reuter in the future to create some type of "hybrid" between the Main Street Market and Local Harvest.

The village board could have considered 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. However, it was too late in the year for this proposal, as well. The company had already started organizing its markets.