This year, along with tomatoes, apples, cut flowers and a breakfast sandwich, patrons may soon be able to grab an adult beverage at the Park Ridge Farmer’s Market. The market opens in May.
At the March 18 Park Ridge City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, the board passed a first reading of an on-premises liquor license for the market. The permit mirrors an old liquor license that allowed on-site consumption of beer and wine at Whole Foods, when Whole Foods had a bar in the grocery store, and visitors to the farmer’s market would have to drink the beverage within the “footprint” of the market. The hours would be restricted from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
However, the move proved somewhat controversial and passed five-to-two as several on the council worried the farmer’s market footprint is too vague. This year, the market won’t use the AT&T parking area, which had held a small performance space and picnic tables. This year, the park will be entirely on public property and the park district is providing tables down Prairie Avenue at Cumberland Park. Whether or not alcohol would be permitted in the park and whether the park is within the footprint of the market isn’t clear.
“We don’t have it defined,” market commission member Stephanie Goodrich explained. “I think the commission would be happy to have it within Garden and Prairie, but … I would hate to restrict people from being able to sit at a table.”
If the license is approved after another vote, it would need to be renewed every year. So far, only one vendor has expressed interest in selling alcohol, Elia Café.
“We were here not too long ago, and you approved us for our liquor,” explained owner Taso Pyroulis, before the city council. “People love our mimosas. This isn’t going to be whiskey, beer and wine; we have strictly mimosas.”
He added he planned to use juice from fruits sold by farmers market vendors, and he’d offer non-alcoholic options.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jackie Matthews spoke on behalf of the café and said they’ve been good members of the community since opening last year.
“It’s an opportunity and we want to support that,” she said. “Taso is a genius in creating juices.”
Still, not everyone was on board. Alderpeople Joseph Steinfels and Lauren Rapisand both worried it would change the feel of the market for the worse.
“I fear it will change the dynamic of the farmers market,” Steinfels said, arguing the market is very family-oriented and the market-after-dark is more geared toward adults. “This would blend the farmer’s market to be more of a market after dark. I don’t know if this is the right thing to do as we’re making so many other changes to the farmers market.”
Rapisand said she didn’t know exactly what the whole footprint is, but she pointed out that there are restaurants nearby that already serve alcohol.
“You could walk a block over and get a mimosa if you so choose after visiting the farmer’s market,” she said. “I still have a lot of safety concerns before voting yes on this.”
The next vote will be in April.
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.