Vancouver Farmers Market
Vancouver Farmers Market opened its 22nd season in downtown over the weekend and welcomed an estimated 7,000 customers.
Saturday’s periodic sunshine produced an estimated 5,000 shoppers and Sunday’s wind and cold held attendance to 2,000, said Jordan Boldt, the market’s executive director.
He said 60 vendors offered their wares. By summer, the market will have up to 180 vendors, he said.
“One of our vendors said she had 30 of her traditional customers who showed up,” Boldt said. Those vendors pay $40 a day for their booths.
“It was a little slower than (opening weekend) last season, but the weather was also really great last year,” Boldt said.
He said he was happy the market had enough vendors to extend from Esther Street onto Sixth Street.
“We had a nice, full-looking market,” he said.
As for other developments, Boldt said there will not be a Friday market this year. He said more energy will go into the second year of the Evergreen Market in east Vancouver. It opens May 7 at Endeavour Elementary School, 2701 N.E. Four Seasons Lane. That market will be open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays through Sept. 24.
Hours for the downtown market at Eighth and Esther streets are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays through the end of October.
Boldt said the market was shy on produce on the first weekend but he promised it is coming. There were 15 food vendors.
“We’re going to have music pretty much every weekend,” Boldt added. “We’re always interested in more people (performing). We have lots of interest in people playing.”
As for the mood of the first weekend, Boldt said, “I think people were really excited.”
