RICHMOND — Every week, in Richmond, thanks in large part to Tom Cloman, stands are set up with seasonal fruits and vegetables, honey from nearby, bottles of freshly pressed juices, eggs by the dozen, and a variety of other goods and food booths.
Having set up the first market on the intersection of Broadway and MacDonald Avenue in 1983, Cloman is commonly recognized as the creator of the Richmond Certified Farmer’s Market. Originally set up on a dirt lot next to a Catholic church, the Richmond Farmer’s Market now stands in front of the Richmond Library and is open every Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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According to Cloman, the Richmond Farmer’s Market attracted thousands of people every week at its height, many of whom traveled from the Bay Area. According to Cloman, less people are traveling to Richmond to buy their products directly from farmers since additional farmer’s markets have been built.
However, he noted, that’s okay because each market is designed to represent the essence of the neighborhood.
Over the 42 years since its founding, the farmer’s market has evolved and grown, but Cloman has stayed the same.
Cloman and I recently chatted about the specifics of starting a farmer’s market and maintaining its integrity while reflecting the needs of the local community.
For the sake of length and clarity, this discussion has been shortened and edited.
How did you end up managing a farmer’s market?
I began working as a grocery clerk for the Berkeley Co-op, a consumer cooperative, in 1971. I advanced through the management ranks, and in 1979, then-Governor Jerry Brown asked me to serve as a principle in his endeavor to create a cooperative development program.
That program was regarded at the time as maybe the best way to assist create and supply enough fresh food to what were then known as at-risk cities. I was tracking bills by driving my van up and down I-80 from Sacramento during that process, which you could call legislative sausage manufacturing.
During my five-year contract, we traveled back and forth to Washington, D.C., mostly to meet with other states, and we promoted that model. It wasn’t intolerable; rather, it made it clear to me that I wasn’t interested in continuing with that program, and it was abandoned soon after. There was the recipe.
What was the origin of the Richmond Farmer’s Market?
Many members of the Richmond Buying Club, who would go out and buy in bulk from wholesalers and then disperse the purchases, wanted to know when I would open their store. I suggested that we launch a certified farmer’s market as the viability of a cooperative store did work in my community.
The land was donated by a man named Papadopoulos. With the mayor serving as the swing vote, the city supported the farmer’s market plan. It wasn’t anything that wasn’t popular at the time.
Why, in your opinion, was the Richmond council at the time so opposed?
They had a powerful lobby, Big Ag.
Many people viewed a farmer’s market as essentially an annoyance. Spit shine wasn’t it. It wasn’t a location where you could go to pick up an apple and see your reflection in it as you would at your neighborhood grocery, but the freshness and nutritional content were unrivaled. However, the majority of consumers were already conditioned to believe that it needed to be attractive and pure in terms of appearance. In the marketplace, you had that kind of story that indicated, “No, it wouldn’t be good.” It goes without saying that this influenced the outcome of their votes in many instances. Many council members were answerable to the voices of their people and the company owners who would support them by contributing to their political campaign.
Okay, so the council agrees with you. What was the community’s immediate response? From the farmers?
Every market day, on average, there were over 3,000 people in that street between noon and five o’clock on a Friday. I believe that gives you an idea of how open the city was to that market. We reached as far northwest as Marine County, Vallejo, my goodness. Even people from Hayward, Milpitas, Oakland, and over the hill, Livermore, would visit that market because of the values they upheld and, more significantly, because they were aware of the caliber of the goods they would be buying.
Let me respond to that question in reverse for the farmers. We have had one farmer, Busalacchi Farm, for forty-one years. Others have spent thirty or thirty-five years with us. In addition to fostering and supporting generational community and generational connection, we continue to work toward the creation and maintenance of a healthier Richmond.
Since then, the once-daily market has grown to four days: Fridays by the library, Sundays in the Marina, and now Thursdays and Saturdays at The Lot, a food court located at the intersection of Macdonald Avenue and Marina Way. How does it feel to watch the market expand so rapidly as so many companies were pulling out of Richmond?
It must be the market for the community. To put it briefly, I have always sought and continue to seek the community’s identity.
The advancement of their ambition to fulfill their pledge to provide fruits and veggies to this vulnerable population at the time would have thrilled my elders. Prior to the Richmond Certified Market’s arrival, it was a food desert.
What is a common misunderstanding regarding farmer’s markets that consumers may not be aware of, and what is the organizing challenge?
The area that receives less attention is health and safety; we are practically under constant scrutiny from the state of California inspectors as well as the County Health Department, which conducts routine inspections.
It goes without saying that it’s satisfying to hear that your years or decades of hard work are valued. Personally, I’m feeling fantastic. It makes our farmers and board of directors very happy.
When you were younger, did you ever imagine that this would be your career path? Where did all of this enthusiasm for this profession originate?
I was raised in rural Louisiana, which is located in the state’s north. In addition to farming for himself and our family, my father also farmed share crops. We were raised in a clan of 15 because my parents adopted my two cousins, and I am one of 13. Our neighbors were mostly gardeners or farmers. We mostly dug up the two acres of our garden by hand. That is the source of my passion.
To address your first query, though, I never thought I would make a living doing this. This was a labor of love for me for 40 years. I have yet to accept a paycheck. I have also been in the life insurance business for 41 years, and my practice and agency have been quite successful. I shut down my office four weeks ago because, at seventy-two, I’ve decided to dial it way, way, way back.
Why have you spent decades of your life at the Richmond Farmer’s Market and why do you keep returning?
I value the dual purpose and mission. The first was to support California’s small farmers, and the second was to contribute to the health of our community. The success of the farmer’s market and the ways in which we uphold that value from one community to another continue to inspire me.
Cloman, Tom
Title: Founder and President of the Richmond Certified Farmer’s Market
Professional occupation: Life insurance agency manager
Home: Richmond
Place of residence: Monroe, Louisiana
Tom Cloman 5 things
1. Cloman s favorite fruit is a white nectarine from Ponce Farms and yams from New American Farms are his favorite vegetables. Both merchants can be found at the Farmer s Market.
2. An avid traveler, Cloman said New Orleans, Louisiana, is his favorite place to visit.
3. Locally, Point Richmond, Larkspur and Oakland s Montclair neighborhood are all hidden gems Clomen enjoys frequenting.
4. Cloman is a man of faith and chairman at his church.
5. When not working, Cloman can be found on his boat, fishing. I ve been a boater and avid fisherman my entire life from a kid with a cane pole in Louisiana, Cloman said. My mental is absolutely enhanced sitting near water.
