By Maggie Downs
Enquirer staff writer

PLEASANT RIDGE - Improve Pleasant Ridge is poised to start a fund-raising campaign and will survey residents this weekend to get their thoughts on how to perk up business at Ridge Market.

In recent months, the almost 2-year-old market has had trouble keeping vendors and attracting customers.

"People have a lot of pride in Pleasant Ridge, and we're hoping to build on that," said Douglas Newberry, president of Improve Pleasant Ridge.

Improve, a business development group, took over the lease from the previous management, the Ridge Market Limited Liability Corp., on July 2. Members of Improve met with the market vendors Wednesday.

Since Improve is a nonprofit organization, the group can receive grants and do fund raising the previous owners never could.

"Even today, vendors are happier than they were last week," Newberry said. "They knew the lack of foot traffic. They knew the problems the market was having."

A fund-raising campaign is already in the works.

"We're going to ask the community to help support us financially, and we've never asked for help in that way before," Newberry said.

Volunteers from Improve will also survey members of the community during the annual Ridge Day festival on Saturday.

"We're going to reorganize to what the community wants," Newberry said.

The market, at 6142 Montgomery Road, was formed in 2002 by concerned community members who wanted to fill a vacant IGA grocery store. The idea was based on Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine.

Many people have already said they wanted the market to be a place for one-stop shopping. Currently, even with nine vendors, customers can't purchase staples like toilet paper or a gallon of milk.

"We didn't quite hit the mark with that," Newberry said.

Customers also want more diverse vendors, including artists, Newberry said.

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com