Starting this year, the Red Rose Artisan Market will be hosting more events, as well as a Farmers Market, at the former Olde Sedona Bar and Grille.
For the past 13 years, the two-day Art Markets has been operating out of the former bar’s parking lot, located at 1405 W. State Route 89A. Now the market intends on hosting a weekly farmers market, as well as doubling its amount of yearly artisan markets.
This was approved by the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission with a 5-1 vote. Vice Chairwoman Charlotte Hosseini was the one vote against the expansion of the art and farmers market due to concerns over parking and event frequency.
These markets have previously been run with a Temporary Use Permit that allows only 10 events per year. This application moves the market into a Conditional Use Permit to operate out of the parking lot without separate applications for each event.
These art markets are run and managed by the Red Rose Inspiration for Animals, a nonprofit based in the Village of Oak Creek dedicated to providing medical attention to homeless and rescue animals. The proceeds from the markets go to the nonprofit to help cover costs for animal health care, such as neutering, food and medicinal costs. Tina Allegrezza founded the nonprofit and currently serves as president.
“For this application, in particular, the biggest difference is the timeframes and her not having to come in 10 times a year and pay 10 separate fees,” Sedona Planning Manager Cari Meyer said.
Although the Olde Sedona Bar was just sold to a new owner, the markets have the new owner’s written permission to continue in the parking lot once the new business has moved in after its renovations.
The original open-ended permit application stated Red Rose could operate 35 art markets and 52 farmers markets per year only within the lot’s 86 parking spaces. The commission approved Red Rose’s CUP with a few changes to the original application, listed below:
n 15 art markets and 52 farmers markets per year
n Closed-ended CUP ending in December 2024
n Continued permission from the new business that owns the property
n The applicant will submit a traffic and parking mitigation plan
This came after the commission and public stated their concerns with the markets’ ability to stay within the parking lot. Neighbors reported traffic and parking issues along the adjacent streets, Saddlerock Circle and Junebug Circle. And with more frequency with the markets, these neighbors stated that the event would gain popularity and result in more traffic issues.
“We did not really have intentions of doing 35 [art markets],” Allegrezza said. “It was just a number that we just put out there thinking that we had the option to do it. But at this point in time, we were not really looking to do 35.”
The increased number of art markets, along with a weekly farmers market will not be in competition with Sedona Community Farmers Market that operates on Friday and Sunday at either Tlaquepaque or the Wells Fargo parking lot in West Sedona, depending on the season, according to Allegrezza.
“I think there’s plenty of people in the community and a lot of tourists, so having [the farmers market] will be positive” Allegrezza said. “It would definitely be a benefit to tourism and locals.”
The weekly Farmers Markets will begin in 2022, but Allegrezza said that the Art Markets will stay at 10 events for this upcoming year.
