SAN MARCOS -- The San Marcos Open Aire Market that boasted nearly 30 vendors specializing in locally grown produce, fresh-cut flowers and handmade arts and crafts just four months ago had shrunk to a handful of vendors Sunday, with few customers stopping by in the market's early hours.

"It's January," said Stewart Cheek, manager of the farmers market, which sets up shop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays in the parking lot area between La Playa Cantina & Grill and Wells Fargo Bank on San Marcos Boulevard.

"People spend so much money during the holidays, this time of year is always slow," he continued, noting that turnout had been steady up until the end of the year. Several hundred returning customers and passers-by have checked out the market each Sunday since it reopened in June after a two-year hiatus, but lately the turnout has been more meager, both for customers and vendors, he said.

"Some vendors aren't coming because they know January is slow," said Cheek, who displays an assortment of gems, minerals, petrified wood and fossils at his booth. Many farmers markets close in the winter and reopen in spring for that reason, he said.

While Sunday's selection of vendors offered goods like spices, handmade wood crafts, Avon products, worm castings, beef jerky and natural pharmaceuticals and vitamins, there was only one farmer supplying a limited amount of oranges, avocados, lemons and fresh-cut flowers.

"Some farmers had a lot of their produce freeze, so that makes it tough," said Cheek, referring to the lingering cold front that gripped San Diego last week with and damaged crops countywide. "Without farmers here, eventually there is no market."

San Marcos-based Rivas Farms, for example, normally has a table lined with fresh avocados, tomatoes, cabbage and green beans at the farmers market, said Cheek, but recently stopped setting up shop due to crop loss from frost, Cheek said.

"They said they would be back when the crops start to produce for them," said Cheek. "Last week (the temperature) was in the 20s in the morning -- it was freezing. That keeps both customers and vendors from coming out."

Quintos Farms, which grows its crops on two acres of land near Lake San Marcos and eight acres in Fallbrook, had a small selection of navel oranges, Satsuma mandarins and Hass avocados Sunday.

"I think this is the last harvest of avocados we have," said Rolando Quintos, whose brother Gilbert owns the farms. "It's too cold this year and if it's cold, nothing grows."

Quintos said the recent cold front is likely to affect the crops that were planted to produce for next year. While the price of avocados and oranges remains steady, the cost could increase in next few weeks, he said.

Customers Diana and Dom Cangemi said they are visiting San Diego from New York and stopped by the farmers market on their way to Old California Restaurant Row. The couple said they had heard about the recent damage to California agriculture, but came to the market because they like to buy local produce.

"It doesn't look too damaged to me," said Dom Cangemi, opening up a plastic bag filled with grapefruit, navel oranges and Satsuma mandarins he had just purchased from Quintos.

"It may be the last of the good crop," said Diana Cangemi. "I heard the price for orange juice might triple, so we better drink it now."

Cheek said because fresh, locally grown produce is a big draw for the farmers market, he has been making trips to other markets in search of growers who might like to sell produce in San Marcos.

"We're low on vendors right now, but if the community shows their support, more vendors will keep coming," he said. "We're optimistic if we get the support we need."

Vendors interested in joining the Open Aire Market should contact Cheek at (760) 789-2153.

Contact staff writer Noelle Ibrahim at (760) 761-4404 or nibrahim@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.