My idea would be to spread out the Farmer's & Artisans Market merchants throughout that shopping plaza, which would help to increase foot traffic to the DDA merchants' businesses and allow many more Saturday-only vendors.

I understand how frustrating it can be when all your parking is gone, but I feel the market will lose a lot of business if it isn't on a weekend. There has to be other answers that will benefit both the businesses and the merchants.

Why aren't the business taking advantage of this? Over 3000 sales leads per day? Market yourself. Here is what is not being said; if the market wasn't there those business wouldn't see an uptick in sales. It's free advertising. As a society, if we can't walk an extra 30 seconds to give our business to someone, we should be ashamed.

I don't go to downtown Farmington very frequently but I've have had a hard time parking every time I did, and not when the famer's market is there. The farmer's market is something that attracts me to the area, but I'd be more likely to actually go there if it were later in the day. On a side note, I think there is something illogical about having problems with both empty storefronts, and not enough parking spaces, at the same time.

I never have a hard time parking. If you go to any other town with a vibrant business district you expect to walk, right?

I never have a hard time parking either, but I've lived here 10+ years and know where the "hidden" lots are. If you are coming to a business for the first time and find yourself in the Downtown Shopping Plaza on Saturday at 11a, it can be intimidating.

I own The Sacred Sage in downtown and my customers never complain about the parking. We have a tiny lot behind the building that gets filled with market goers. The Market brings new customers to my back door so what's wrong with that? It' time to take a positive view because having no parking spaces on a Saturday is a GOOD thing! Most people understand that in a downtown area you have to walk and it's a part of the downtown ambiance. What better way to spend a Saturday than going to the market and your favorite shops, getting coffee, eating lunch, etc. That's what my customers do and I encourage it.

The market doesn't need to be changed! The businesses in question, need to take a better look at what they are NOT doing to draw in all those potentional customers that are there on Saturdays.

A Buy Local campaign would help a lot of businesses. I have seen this only in the Ann Arbor area. It really helps get the info out to residents about the values of buying at locally owned businesses and not chain stores.

I go to the market nearly every morning when it's open. There is plenty of parking over by TJMAXX, you know. And there is usually a lot of empty parking across the street, too. Take a little exercise people. It won't kill you. As for the businesses, I work in the local cafe (not the Starbucks that is right there), and we love the Market crowd! Even though we are a good distance away, we still get people from the market and it is a great boost to business. If we are getting good business from this, how are the businesses sitting right there not? That is my question.

I like the idea of changing the Market to Sunday. That way there's no competition for parking. However, if keeping it on Saturday is important to vendors, then consider moving it to Shiawassee Park, at and around the pavilion. If it's important to keep it in the downtown area, then move all or a portion of it to the Maxfield Training Center parking lot or the Orchard St. parking lot. Maybe if moved more businesses would fill the empty stores in the shopping center. With more tenants, maybe Kimco would again consider putting a walk-through in the middle of the row of stores abutting Orchard St. as proposed many years ago.