BUCKSPORT – The popular Riverfront Market will have a new home when it opens this Saturday.

Town councilors Thursday authorized the market to use the parking lot in front of the historical society building off Main Street.

The market, which was created in an effort to attract potential customers to downtown on Saturdays, was held last year at the town office parking lot. Although vendors liked the spot, they’ve said people couldn’t see them from Main Street, according to economic development director David Milan.

“They liked the space,” Milan said. “The problem was that people had a hard time finding them.”

The town office lot is located behind the Main Street buildings, which hides the market from passing traffic. Travelers who could see the market from the Bucksport-Verona Island bridge, could not always find it when they got to Main Street, he said.

The historical society parking lot is located on the street side of the society building and is close to the town’s popular public dock area and the waterfront walk. It was the location near the dock, however, that raised concerns among some councilors.

“That’s a very active area in the summer,” Councilor Robert Carmichael said. “It seems like it’s already a congested area down there.”

Carmichael also expressed concern about the effect the loss of parking spaces in front of the historical society might have on parking at the town dock.

Milan said he already has made arrangements for vendors to park elsewhere and that they would not take up spaces at the town dock or on Main Street. The councilors made that a provision of their approval of relocating the market and also included the post office parking lots. Milan had suggested they use one of the parking lots at the post office, but councilors noted that many people use those lots on Saturday mornings.

They suggested Milan make arrangements with one of the nearby banks to use their lots on Saturday mornings.

The move will reduce the vendor space slightly, but Milan said it will have almost as many vendor spaces as the town office lot. The town provides free space for vendors to set up shop in an effort to attract potential customers for the vendors and for downtown merchants on what traditionally has been their slowest day of the week.

Last year at its peak, 33 vendors selling everything from photographs to vegetables to bread to deck chairs attended the market, with the average being about 20, Milan said. So far this year, a dozen vendors have signed up and Milan said he expects more will sign on as the season gets under way.

In addition to approving the move, councilors also authorized funds to help advertise the market. They allocated $250 for print advertising in the local weekly paper, and $1,500 for radio ads, which will include a cooperative plan between the market and the Main Street merchants.

The market will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday between June 11 and Labor Day, except for the weekend of the Bucksport Bay Area Festival.

Vendors interested in joining the market can contact Milan at 469-7368. A copy of the market rules and an application are available on the town’s Web site: www.bucksport.biz