Redlands Downtown Morning Market closes Nov. 22; city invites vendors to relocate to the Grove School’s Saturday market.
City council will weigh whether to move forward with a citywide ban on new warehouse development, following a Planning Commission recommendation to halt logistics expansion and preserve existing commercial sites.
Agenda includes a potential warehouse ban, new condominiums, traffic signal funding and the 2025 National Community Survey results.
Redlands Downtown Morning Market closes Nov. 22; city invites vendors to relocate to the Grove School’s Saturday market.
REDLANDS, Calif. – The Grove School has announced that its weekly farmers market will become Redlands’ only certified Saturday morning farmers market beginning Nov. 29, following the seasonal closure of the city’s Downtown Morning Market.
In a press release, the free, public Montessori charter school said it is “thrilled to announce its partnership with the City of Redlands to become the only certified Farmers Market in Redlands.”
“Starting on November 29, the Redlands Downtown Morning Market will be merging with The Grove School Farmers Market, creating one central location for our community to support local farmers, vendors, and students,” the school wrote.
The Grove School Farmers Market, held year-round on the school’s farm campus on Iowa Street, features local farmer and vendor booths, student-run fundraisers, live music and rotating free activities.
Grove School Head of School Michelle Sweeney said Friday that the city approached the school several months ago about shifting Saturday morning farmers market operations to the Grove campus.
In an Oct. 20 website posting announcing the collaboration, the city offered this explanation for the change: “Both markets currently operate Saturday mornings and attract a similar customer base. By joining forces, we will expand the selection of locally grown produce, artisan goods, and specialty products available to the community while creating a more vibrant, sustainable marketplace.”
The city directed Downtown Morning Market vendors to participate in the Saturday Grove Market and described the collaboration as an opportunity for vendors to maintain year-round operations.
City spokesperson Carl Baker said in an email Friday, “The market typically goes on winter break prior to the holidays through spring, and this is an opportunity for the participating vendors to continue through that period at the city-owned property used by the Grove School Market.”
He added that the city “will take this opportunity to evaluate the best course for continuing the market.”
The city has not confirmed whether it plans to restart a downtown market in the future.
Downtown’s Morning Market developed out of the city’s former Thursday night market, which shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened.
The Grove School Farmers Market typically hosts around 30 vendors and includes produce grown on the school’s farm, pastries, coffee, meats and fish, handmade goods, knife sharpening, and a student booth featuring items made or grown by students as part of the school’s Montessori adolescent program.
"Montessori's work for the adolescent is that they engage in their local economy. And so for us, that's a really nice way for our program to come to life – direct engagement in local economy," Sweezey said.
The Grove campus also provides onsite and street parking, an ease-of-access benefit noted by both vendors and customers.
With food options and places to sit and relax, Sweeney describes the atmosphere as a community gathering place where “people come to the market and hang out for a while.”
Sweezey credited three long-serving volunteers — Amber Claflin, Doug Claflin and Jean Drinkwine — with helping develop and sustain the market.
“Their work coordinating vendors and supporting students is a big part of why this market has been so successful,” she said.
The Grove School Farmers Market plans to relocate across the street into Heritage Park in spring 2026, Sweezey said. Planning is underway for electrical access, restrooms and other infrastructure needed to support an expanded market.
Sweezey said the school is working to make space for additional vendors transitioning from the Downtown Market. The market accepts SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), ensuring access to fresh, nutritious food for Redlands families.
The Downtown Morning Market will hold its final market of the season on Nov. 22.
Every Saturday
8 a.m. to noon
Rain or shine
11126/11123 Iowa Street
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