CHECKUP ON FARMERS MARKET GOOD; FIRST YEAR SEES SUCCESS.

Byline: Sylvia L. Oliande Staff Writer

Unlike its predecessors, the Simi Valley Certified Farmers Market seems to be making a go of it Saturdays on Tapo Street, catering to residents who want fresh fruits and flowers from local growers, city officials said.

The Tapo Street Revitalization Committee reviewed the market's special event permit at its meeting this week, checking in on the operation that has been under way for a year in the beleaguered commercial area.

``We're happy they're continuing to operate on Tapo Street,'' said Mark Oyler, economic development analyst in the city manager's office. ``It's bringing foot traffic, pedestrian traffic to a commercial area where we're trying to breathe new life into.''

Previous incarnations of the open-air fruit and produce markets have had a hard time surviving on Tapo Street.

Before the Ventura-based Farmers Market of Channel Islands took over, the Ventura County Certified Markets tried its hand at making it a success but failed after a few months.

And another market that closed in 1997 had trouble attracting a crowd partly because of its scheduling, first on Wednesdays then on Fridays, officials said.

Mark Rochin, the market's manager, said an average of 15 to 30 vendors show up on any given Saturday. He said improvements that have been made along the street, including new landscaping, banners and facades on the stores, have contributed to his success.

The city has been renovating the Tapo Street area to help bring more business to the shops.

Oyler said the market's quarterly special event permit is automatically renewed by city staff every three months, but after a full year in business the permit was brought to the Tapo Street Revitalization committee for review.

Councilwoman Barbra Williamson, a member of the committee and a longtime advocate of Tapo Street improvements, said she was pleased to hear the market is doing better than others had in the past.

``It has its ups and it has its downs, but if it wasn't working I guess Mark (Rochin) wouldn't be there, would he?'' she said. ``My concern with other farmers markets was that there was not enough advertising and the prices were a bit high. That doesn't seem to be a problem anymore.''