Port of Everett, Everett Farmers Market Partner to Kick-off 25th Season This Sunday
Date: May 11, 2018
Open Sundays, rain or shine, Mother’s Day (May 13) thru October 14Everett, Wash. – Head down to the waterfront Sundays beginning May 13, as the Everett Farmers Market returns to the Port of Everett and celebrates its 25th year offering seasonal Washington grown agriculture, locally processed goods and artisan wares to the community.
Every Sunday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., 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.
Take advantage of Everett Transit’s new Weekend Wheels to the Waterfront program, offering bus service from downtown to the Port of Everett. Learn more at www.everetttransit.org/route6. Carpooling, biking and walking to the market is also encouraged.
“As the Port of Everett celebrates its centennial year, it’s fun to reflect on the partnerships we’ve built to benefit our community, including our valuable partnership with the Everett Farmers Market,” Port Commission President Glen Bachman said.
Since its launch in 1993, the Everett Farmers Market has continued to evolve and grow, becoming 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 framers and artisans.
“We are honored to be at the helm of the Everett Farmers Market in this time of history, celebrating the markets 25th Anniversary in conjunction with the Port of Everett's 100th and the City of Everett's 125th anniversaries,” Everett Farmers Market owners Karen Erickson and Gary Purves said. "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."
For more information contact Catherine Soper, Public Affairs Specialist, at catherines@portofeverett.com or by phone at 425.388.0680.
###
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.
Today, the Market can be found in 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 2016 in preparation for construction of the City’s Grand Avenue Park Bridge (currently underway) and the continued build-out of Waterfront Place. The move has allowed the market to take advantage of new growth opportunities and expand its footprint once again. To this day, a few of the original vendors have faithfully remained with the Market. The Port and Everett Farmers Market are working on finalizing plans for its next interim move to take place after the 2019 season. To accommodate construction activity, the Market may move a couple more times before landing in its final location at Waterfront Place.