For 2 years, Marigold Coffee Collective has been fortunate to be a part of the Claremont community — connecting with community leaders at the Benton Museum, Claremont Colleges, and the Botanical Gardens. 11 months ago we took the opportunity to invest further in the Claremont community by joining the Claremont Farmers & Artisans Market by invitation. Throughout the past 11 months we’ve gone through numerous changes to keep up with the ever-changing demands the city puts forth on us. We’ve invested in tens of thousands of dollars in infrastructure, staffing, and overall improvements to keep the city and greater community happy on Sunday mornings.

 On Monday, November 10th, a small group of local Claremont businesses came together in opposition to 15+ farmers market vendors, Marigold Coffee Collective included, to have us all specifically removed because their own businesses were “affected” on Sundays from 8 am to 1 pm. It was also made clear that there were more removals to come. This meeting was held without our knowledge, inclusion, and without the opportunity to advocate for ourselves. In reality, bringing more people to the market complements and enhances the business of our surrounding neighbors. Marigold specifically brings in an additional 100+ regular customers that were NOT involved with the farmers market and greater Claremont community prior to us joining, and Claremont has capitalized in on this large loyal group of community members that they otherwise would not have had access to. Claremont has benefitted financially not just through our regular tax dollars and charitable donations, but also through our incredible following that spans from Camarillo to San Diego.

For the past 11 months, Marigold, along with every single other vendor being kicked out of the Farmer’s Market, has donated 10% of ALL sales to a local nonprofit founded in Claremont, supporting this market’s core mission of outreach and charity. Taking away these businesses further impacts the community at large.  

We are creating this petition as our opportunity to advocate for ourselves and the community. We, the surrounding residents, customers, community members, and supporters of our Claremont Farmers Market are respectfully submitting this petition to request immediate action. Our farmers market is a community asset and local businesses rely on this for their livelihood. Community members choose the market for our vibrancy and diversity  — we have the chance to make a change and be here for our neighbors.