The new Thursday Night Market that debuted on Sept. 4 and continues through the month has been generating enthusiasm among both residents and Fourth Street businesses.

Pat Kirk came to the market on Thursday and bought some tea towels and homemade brittle at the booth of Alison’s Gourmet Brittle which offers over 20 flavors. She enjoyed strolling the block pushing her grandchildren James Hardcastle and Charlotte Kirk but was a bit disappointed.

“I thought there would be fruits and vegetables,” said Kirk. “When I hear market I think fruits and vegetables.”

Joey Chavez, the Recreation Director for the city of Ceres and his staff who organized the event said they tried to get produce vendors but couldn’t.

“We tried to get the produce, but it’s hard because there’s a lot of other farmers’ markets that are having it and you’ve got to book them like nine months in advance to get them there,” said Chavez. “It’s already too late to do it, but next year, that’s what we’re going to shoot for. We have to start now getting recruiting them in.”

“So that was initially what I wanted to create here,” explained Jessica Pulliam, the city’s recreation supervisor, “but most of the individuals already have contracts with other cities. And within that contract, they can’t be it with any other cities.”

Chavez said he is pleased with the inaugural event and expects to make changes next year.

Fourth Street merchants have benefitted as well. Kirk also enjoyed going into the Drip coffee shop on the opposite side of the street.

Brandy Meyer was pleased to see a lot of walk-in traffic into her new BK Books & More at 2947 Fourth Street.

“Brandy was very, very impressed because she had a lot of people walking through her bookstore,” said Chavez. “We’re trying to bring more business downtown. What we’re hearing from a lot of families that walk through is that, wow, ‘we’ve been waiting for something like this.’ So we’re trying it out see if it works, and then we’ll make our changes.”

The city begins blocking off Fourth Street between North and Lawrence at 2 p.m. in order to set up for the market to begin at 4 p.m. Jim Delhart of Delhart’s Home Furnishings suggested starting later next year to avoid disrupting businesses like his.

Chavez reported that on the first night, the vendors like Birria Tacos did well as did the brick-and-mortar stores like American Italian Bistro Restaurant.

He noted that once the city announced its Night Market for September, other cities began following suit, namely Hughson and Riverbank and Patterson.

Thursdays seemed the right night since Fridays is local football night.

“We can’t do Saturdays because I can’t compete with Turlock on Main Street. It’s huge. They got all the produce there.”

The approximate 25 vendors included a mixture of food, crafts, and other items. Custom Airbrush was in front of Ceres Drug Store offering to customized caps and T-shirts. Another booth offered mini-pancakes and crepes. Goth Mama’s Haunted Hoard sold clothing and trinkets and assorted Funko figures. Another booth sold jewelry, another house plants. “Squeezed with Love,” another booth sold smoothies, dirty sodas and dirty Red Bull beverages.

High Witchery Holistic Herbal Remedies sold products such as flavored lip oil, cuticle and hand balm, scented bath soaps and yarrow balm.

While the vendors would like to see the city expand the market to longer than a month, Chavez explained that they do impact the established businesses on Fourth Street.

“As a business owner, some of them do get upset because we’re shutting down the street. Some get a little upset so we don’t want to be like, two months in a row where we’re shutting down on Thursdays. So I think a month is just working for us.”

Initially the city wanted to set up the market on Third Street next to Whitmore Park, said Chavez, but some of the Fourth Street owners said, “bring it down to us where we can keep our doors open and bring more people downtown.”

Chavez believes a later starting time of 5:30 p.m. would impact the business district less and align with schedules of folks who get off at 5 p.m. Currently, the market closes at 8 p.m.