This city is such an amazing place, but sometimes I wonder if it is offering its full potential.

I’ve moved back home from New York recently. I’ve been exploring all the ways San Diego has grown and changed, but I’ve failed to find a farmers market experience like that of Brooklyn Flea.

In a nutshell, Brooklyn Flea is a combination of farmers, flea and food markets. It brings together local businesses, farmers and vendors every weekend by the river in what can only be described as one of the best “Sunday funday” activities of the summer.

Brooklyn Flea’s appeal is a lot more far-reaching than the stereotypical hipsters it’s known for. Every weekend, you see families, children, college students, working professionals and, yes, hipsters come together to enjoy local fare.

The ideas are endless, too. London just launched BOXPARK, which is a pop-up shopping center constructed of abandoned shipping containers which showcases the city’s undiscovered designers and artists.

In my own search for San Diego’s best farmers market, Yelp has come up with several but all with reviews that disappointingly mention San Diego’s lackluster venues. The city’s climate and health-conscious lifestyle lends well to being a farmers market mecca of sorts.

I think the demand for something of this nature exists in San Diego. And the potential for community-building in creating something is tangible. Designing something like this could become an academic competition for students.

I could be wrong, but I wanted to get the idea out there and start a proactive conversation.

Eugena Ossi lives in Poway.


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Dagny Salas was web editor at Voice of San Diego from 2010 to 2013. She was an investigative fellow at VOSD from 2009 to 2010.

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