Everett Farmers Market, Port of Everett, City of Everett Partner to Improve Access to Market
Date: Jul 19, 2019
Everett, Wash. – A partnership between the Everett Farmers Market, Port of Everett and City of Everett is enhancing community access to the largest farmers market in Snohomish County at a new expansive location in Everett’s downtown core.Beginning Sunday, August 4, the Market will locate on Wetmore Avenue, taking over the block between Hewitt Avenue and Wall Street to foster the continued growth demands of this popular attraction. The Market will retain the same vendors, hours and quality experience.
“We are so fortunate to have great partners in the Market and the City so we can work together to ensure the continued success and vibrancy of the Everett Farmers Market,” Port CEO Les Reardanz said. “With the years of construction on the waterfront to come, this will be a great transition to ensure a good market experience as the Market and attendance continues to grow.”
Since the Everett Farmers Market launched in 1993, the Port of Everett has worked alongside the Market to grow and foster its success as a major community and economic asset.
Today, the Market draws approximately 5,000 patrons per week, or nearly 100,000 each season. With an average of $18 spent per attendee, the market supports an estimated $1.25 million in sales to local farmers and artisans. Every Sunday patrons can expect 100 quality vendors (a total of 216 vendors on rotation) – some of which have been with the market since the beginning – as well as food concessionaires, a variety of music, kid’s activities, and of course, waterfront views.
With the Market’s success has come logistical and site challenges with an ever-evolving waterfront that must manage a variety of interest groups, including events, boaters, restaurant goers, yacht clubs, waterfront visitors and more. To accommodate waterfront construction, the Market was moved to a temporary location near Boxcar Park. While beautiful, scenic and a fun place to shop, logistically, the site is extremely challenging to get to and park, which causes frustration to Market goers and other waterfront users.
The Market, the Port and the City began working in early 2019 to find a long-term solution that would benefit the community’s access to the Market and enhances the opportunity for growth. Moving the Market provides activities and vibrancy to the downtown during its off-peak period, and creates an opportunity to restore a smaller, more boutique Farmers Market on the waterfront during the week to compliment the sprawling Sunday Market.
The Market has been on the waterfront since its inception but looks forward to having more space as the Market popularity grows.
“We are excited with the opportunities that lie with our new location, and truly believe it will be in the best long-term interest of the Market from an access and ADA perspective,” Everett Farmers Market owners Karen Erickson and Gary Purves said. “We want to thank the Port of Everett for always being a good partner, and continuing to modify and adapt their infrastructure to support our needs, even though it’s an active construction site.”
"The Market is all about community. It takes everyone supporting one another – customers, vendors, non-profits, sponsors, staff, Port of Everett, City of Everett, and the Snohomish Health District – to make it happen," they said. “We look forward to having more size appropriate Markets on the waterfront going into the future.”
The City of Everett is excited with the opportunity, as it will bring energy and life into the downtown during its off-peak period.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Everett Farmers Market to its new home in downtown Everett,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin. “The new location will better serve our growing community with more parking and transit accessibility, and allows for the market to expand in the future. We look forward to this vibrant new addition in our downtown core.”
Media Contacts:
Catherine Soper, Port of Everett Public Affairs Manager
catherines@portofeverett.com
425.388.0680
Kimberley Cline, City of Everett Communications Director
kcline@everettwa.gov
425.257.8687
Gary Purves and Karen Erikson, Everett Farmer’s Market Owners
everettfarmersmarket@gmail.com
About the Everett Farmers Market
The Everett Farmers Market was originally founded in 1993 by Marie Brayman with a vision of offering local farmers a place to sell their seasonal produce. It began with a few vendors in an empty unpaved lot on Pacific Avenue, west of what is now Lowe's Home Improvement. The market operated in this location for just one year, before relocating to Port Gardner Landing at the Port of Everett's South Marina. During those early years, the Market grew from only a few vendors to more than sixty, and saw an expansion of offerings from a diverse mix of farmers and artisans. In 2002, Tone and Inger Hutton purchased the Market, and continued operating on Sundays for ten years. The Market continued to grow in both size and scope during their tenure to nearly 80 vendors. In January 2012, Gary Purves and Karen Erickson purchased the Market from the Hutton’s and assumed operation.
In 2016, the Market moved to its temporary home near Boxcar Park, a 2-acre park at water’s edge within the Port’s Waterfront Place mixed-use development. Relocation took place in preparation for construction of the City’s Grand Avenue Park Bridge (currently underway) and the continued build-out of Waterfront Place. The move allowed the market to take advantage of new growth opportunities and expand its footprint once again. However, due to the increased construction activity, limited access to the site, no bus service and limited ADA accessibility, the Market, Port and City began conversations in 2019 about new locations to support the success of the Market.