Farmstead Market Opens Monday in Murrieta

The countdown is on for the opening of Farmstead Market in Murrieta.

Located across from Murrieta Town Square in the Farmstead Market is set to open at 10 a.m. Monday, Rick Neugebauer, part owner, confirmed.

Neugebauer and several employees and distributors were hustling Thursday to prepare the store—described by Neugebauer as a “grocery store with a farmers market feel to it”—for the grand opening.

The market boasts a full grocery line of natural-organic products such as hormone-free and free-range meat, as well a selection of fresh produce, some of which comes from local farms. Neugebauer said he hopes to expand the items that are locally grown.

There is also a coffee and juice bar that will open at 6 a.m. daily; an outdoor eating area; a full service kitchen and bakery; a wide variety of cheeses; and a selection of beer and wine.

Future plans include live entertainment in the lit outdoor area, where there is a fireplace for the cold months and misters for the warm months. The market is licensed to serve beer and wine on the patio, Neugebauer said.

“This store is about culture, the culture of the community, and bringing healthy food to the community, with a little beer and wine, too,” Neugebauer said.

Situated at the corner of Kalmia Street and Jefferson Avenue, the market is part of the newly constructed Olivewood Center. The market was built on the site of a former medical office building.

“This building has been transformed—I would say transformed is the word,” Neugebauer said, while fielding phone calls and directing employees amid the pre-opening hustle.

Out of nearly 700 applicants, Farmstead Market hired 54 employees, 85 percent of whom live in Murrieta, he said.

“That is huge, we are talking about local people working in a local market.”

The building—and the Olivewood Project as a whole—was funded partly by foreign investors as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s EB5 program. In exchange for creating at least 10 jobs, the investors—70 percent of whom he said were from China—get a path to citizenship.

“It is about job creation,” Neugebauer said. “That’s incredible, we are delighted with that.”

Following Monday’s grand opening, Farmstead Market, 41516 Kalmia Street, will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The first 100 women who shop at Farmstead Monday will get a rose, Neugebauer said. There will also be some other giveaways such as reusable grocery bags.