The 20-year-old Irvine farmers market, one of the best-known in Orange County, has found a new home.

The Orange County Farm Bureau, the agency that runs the market, said Thursday that the food venue is moving to a larger space at Mariners Church in Irvine in mid-December. Market manager Trish Harrison has been scouting for a new location for weeks because the popular market had outgrown its space at the University Center near UC Irvine.

In October, the market was forced to shrink in size, losing 58 extra parking spaces the Irvine Co. had allowed them to grow into even though it was beyond the 110-space lease cap. The developer took back the space to provide adequate parking for the complex, which has added several new restaurant tenants in the past year.

The shrinkage forced Harrison to put crafters at the market on hiatus – those that sold gift baskets, jewelry and soaps. But those merchants will be back Dec. 13 when the market relocates less than 2 miles away in a 55,000-square-foot space.

With more elbow room for booths, Harrison said market shoppers likely will see a wider selection of produce choices.

“We will be bigger than the old setup,” said Harrison, who oversees three other certified markets in Orange County.

She also plans to bring in more vendors, including three merchants with cooked or prepared artisan foods. But new booths will be added “slowly and incrementally,” Harrison said.

Shoppers won’t have to fight for parking, either. The Mariners’ location has at least 1,600 parking spaces for visitors in two parking lots, she said.

The Irvine market, which turns 20 this month, has become a destination marketplace for chefs and at-home cooks. It sells items ranging from hard-to-find fruits and vegetables to scratch-made baked goods. It will continue to operate each Saturday at the University Center through Dec. 6.

The operating hours at the new location, effective Dec. 13, will be from 8 a.m. to noon. The address is 5001 Newport Coast Drive in Irvine.

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com