Lake Forest Park Farmers Market organizers and farmers said strong community support and loyalty amongst green and seasoned farmers and their customers have been the key ingredients to the market’s success.
The market began its fifth year in May and wrapped up Oct. 4 with 46 regular vendors.
Farmers Market manager Grant Davidson said last week this year on average 7,500 people wandered through the market and some days, the numbers spiked to 10,000.
“People wanted a market and when they got it they supported it,” Davidson said.
Davidson said the number one aspect of the market’s success is the farmers.
“The relationship between the farmers and the consumer is key,” he said. “They’re personable and they get along with the public.”
The other key element is having a location that brings in high volumes of foot traffic. Davidson also said the rapport he has with Friends of Third Place Commons, market co-sponsors, lends itself to the market’s sustainability.
“They’re all just really good people,” he said.
Constance Perenyi, director of Friends of Third Place Commons, said the number of regular vendors and customers has steadily increased each year large in part to the community’s loyalty and support.
Perenyi said even during the weeks creeping up to the end of the market season, the customers did not thin out.
“It’s not tapering,” she said.
Perenyi said the community asked for a market years ago and despite the recession, people have juggled their expenses to make room to support it.
“Everybody has had to figure out how to stretch their budgets,” she said.
This was the second year market organizers offered Market Bucks, a food assistance program that supplies people with coupons each worth $2 to buy market items. The program is funded through grant money.
The Enterprise previously reported the Market Bucks were distributed to nine local organizations including food banks, senior and health centers and elementary schools during the second week of this year’s market.
In July, more than 800 Market Bucks had been redeemed for fresh produce, including vegetables and berries.
“The Market Bucks helps those hit hard by the recession,” Perenyi said.
Perenyi said the Friends expect to get back more than $4,000 in coupons by the end of the year.
“There’s a very high return rate,” she said.
Perenyi said this year’s market saw new farmers which Davidson took under his wing.
“They’re an investment,” she said.
Davidson said whether the farmers are new or established, it does not make a difference as to how much they can contribute to the market.
In fact, new farmers are becoming obsolete, large in part to the rising cost of land, he said.
Davidson said the spread of seafood, produce, cheese, jams and pasta offered at the market appeals to its customers.
“When people come to the market they can buy almost anything they need to eat,” he said.
Perenyi said balancing new and experienced farmers gives everyone a chance to thrive.
She pointed out threats of paving over farmland for development and radio towers make it co-that much more valuable when new farmers come on the scene.
“Development is hurting farmers,” she said. “It puts a lot of pressure on small farmers.”
In July, The Herald reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture census showed the number of Snohomish County farms on the rise. There were 76,837 acres supporting 1,670 farms here in 2007, up from 68,612 acres and 1,574 farms in 2002.
Despite the rise, Snohomish County officials said much of the increase owes to small-scale farms and they worry more ground could be lost to development if the building industry recovers, according to the same article.
Damon Gibson, owner of 5 Acre Farm on Whidbey Island, said the demand for fresh, local produce is very high.
Gibson said it is impressive that people are purchasing local produce during a recession because sometimes it can cost more. But for the most part, local produce is not as pricey as people perceive it to be, he said.
“Some people will shop at farmers markets no matter the economic climate,” he said.
Gibson started his farm earlier this year and sells “pretty much everything in produce except berries.”
This was his first year selling produce in Lake Forest Park.
“One thing I really liked was all the food and produce, it was a real farmers market,” he said.
Compared to three other nearby farmers markets, Gibson said he favored Lake Forest Park.
“The people who buy there are more friendly, support local farmers and there’s more excitement than at any other market,” he said.
Gibson said the management contributed to his success at this year’s market.
“The management at Lake Forest Park was definitely the cornerstone of my success,” he said. “It’s well rounded and friendly; it’s the biggest factor in the market’s success.”
Gibson said both eastern and western Washington vendors have advantages over each other, but both regions balance each other out.
Eastern Washington farmers have the advantage of more sunshine and established farms, he pointed out.
“They can grow things that would need more effort to grow in western Washington,” he said. “We wouldn’t be able to compete.”
Local farmers have the advantage of a shorter distance to bring produce in to guarantee freshness.
“One thing that gave 5 Acre an edge was not having produce older than 24 hours,” he said.
Christina Martin, owner of Blue Cottage James in Redmond, said Lake Forest Park is her favorite venue because of the “wonderful, neighborhood atmosphere.”
When she started out, Martin sold her jams at a variety of markets to experience different communities and markets to find her niche. She kept coming back to Lake Forest Park for the past couple of years.
“It’s a well run, friendly market,” she said.
Martin sells 36 varieties of jam, butters and syrups. All of the fruit she used this year came from vendors at Lake Forest Park’s farmers market.
“It’s fun to point at the farmer and say, ‘That’s where it came from,’” she said.
Martin said the market has a tight knit group of vendors that support each other.
“It’s like a very loose family,” she said. “If something happens we’d all jump in and help somebody.”
Martin said at some venues she observed the shaky economic climate influenced people to shy away from the market.
“People look at prices more instead of grab and buy,” she said.
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