CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — With the new year came a major change to the Dairy Market, as the Charlottesville food hall is now closed on Mondays. The schedule change went into effect earlier this week.

The decision to close on Mondays was a collective one between General Manager Anna Payne, Director of Hospitality Assets Michael Rosen and the 14 merchants within the Market. Payne told Cville Right Now the decision was made because Mondays are the slowest day of the week from a revenue-standpoint, and some of the merchants were already closed on Mondays.

“That’s when we just decided to make the entire market closed on Mondays,” she said. “So that way when the customers come in, everybody is on the same page. The entire market is open and thriving, and they get the full experience and not just part of it.”

Payne also said giving merchants the day off will give them an extra day to rest, prep for the week and spend time with their families.

“We want people to have that work-life balance,” she said.

While the new hours are in effect for the 14 food merchants in the Market, they do not apply to the two retail stores in the building, Relay Active and Quattro Tizi. Payne said this is because each as their own entrance off of the Market’s main patio, so they can be accessed without having to enter the main hall.

While is Market is owned by Stony Point Development Group and managed by Tiger Lily Capital, whom Payne and Rosen work for, the former said these decisions are always made with the merchants’ input, and the group meets on a monthly basis to discuss how each vendor is feeling and brainstorm ways to improve the market.

“We tell them, we say, ‘Look, this meeting is for you, because your neighbor might have the same question that you might have,'” she said. “So that gives us a chance to talk as one collective group and see how everyone’s feeling and everybody gets to hear everybody’s viewpoint and ask questions.”

Ultimately, Payne said decisions like these are made with the knowledge that they will impact everyone within the Market and thus are made collectively.

“These are 14 small, independent businesses,” she said, ” and we’re like, I guess they’re gatekeeper or home, so to speak, so what affects one affects us all.”