By Tom Oder
The Dunwoody Green Market will consider seeking a new location for the 2013 season because it’s facing a significant decline in attendance since moving in mid-July from a parking lot adjacent to the Dunwoody Post Office to the Spruill Gallery,
“Attendance is awful,” said market President Paula Guilbeau of the number of shoppers visiting the Wednesday morning market in the Spruill’s parking lot, located near the corner of Meadow Lane and Ashford-Dunwoody Road. “But no decisions are being made until next year.”
The market board is not considering ceasing operations, she said, just considering whether to stay put or search for a new site.
“I’m surprised they are having attendance problems,” said Bob Kinsey, chief executive officer of the Spruill Center for the Arts, which operates the gallery.
He said he was hoping that any clientele the market might have lost in its move from the post office would have been offset by the high visibility of the location fronting Ashford-Dunwoody Road.
There was signage on Ashford-Dunwoody, one of the busiest streets in the city, and information about the market was published in the Spruill newsletter, which Kinsey said is sent to thousands of subscribers. “I don’t know what more we could do,” he said, adding that he is open to suggestions. “We’d love to have them stay here. We would hate to not have them on the property.”
But, he added, whatever decision the Spruill Center makes will be supported 100 percent.
The market operates on Wednesday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon, from April – November. Vendors, who must make or grow what they sell, offer a wide range of seasonal vegetables, fruits, honey, free-range eggs, beef, pork and poultry, plus breads, soaps and other goods produced by area artisans.
The final market day planned for the 2012 season is Nov. 21.