We just read in the Wallingford eNewsletter (put out by the Wallingford Neighborhood Office) that the Wallingford Farmers Market won’t be returning to Wallingford Center this coming year. A new location in Wallingford is being discussed, apparently (Good Shepherd Center)?
They’re also discussing changing the day of the week from Wednesday (Saturday?)
Which issue? I just checked my copy of the 1/29 issue and don’t see it there. More importantly, why?? And what can we do?
I’m probably going against the grain here, but I would much prefer a Saturday or Sunday market to Wednesday. It’s just ends too early to be really convenient.
When I lived in Lake City 2 years ago, there was a lot of talk about closing or moving the Farmer’s Market because the space wasn’t available anymore. Then the next year, the Farmer’s Market was relocated to the green park-like area & small side street next to the public library. It was a much more enjoyable location & people ended up dropping in to get books on their weekly trek. Nice all around.
I think they might get more business on a Saturday, especially considering how long it can take people to commute at 5pm, then get on down to Wallingford & find parking. (But the UW market is on Saturdays too, with Fremont on Sunday).
GSC would be a nice location, although visibility would be a hassle, and parking a nightmare for those who drive. Phinney makes theirs work in a similar space, though, so maybe? Are there any other spaces that might work?
– church lot behind Dicks?
– inside the here-today gone-tomorrow Office Max?
– one of the parking lots by the SGL play fields?
I liked having it on weds, although it did close a bit early for the commuter crowd, but Saturday conflicts with the U-District, and Sunday with Fremont, no?
What’s the word on why they have to change locations in the first place?
Having worked in a farmer’s market (in Hood River), in my experience any location where the vendors can back up their vehicles and have right there access is ideal. On a bus route since green-footprinting to a farmer’s market is good karma unless one is already on tires . . .
In the Lincoln High School parking lot would be a good fit (and liberry-close) except that it is difficult to know with whom to deal with at the School District.
Perhaps Crazy Beans (Corliss and 45th) could suspend drive-thru for a period each week and that space (where we stage for the Wallingford Kiddies Parade) could work, smack dab next to a #44 bus stop. They would sell lotsa java seems like.
OR!!! Could we close off a non-arterial residential street like the 4400 block of, say, Corliss and provide porta potties . . . the Wallingford Community at Large as sponsor.
I like Kerrizor’s idea of the Nazarene church’s lot behind Dicks. Saturday would be great.
The cross-town bus is right there and the market would get a lot of traffic from the burger crowd.
And, like Nancy said, the vendors can back up their vehicles in the spaces. The coffee house that is in the church’s basement could do some nice business then, too!
There are only so many farmers to go around . . . which I believe is why there is a rotation between locations; perhaps a weekday but not ending at 7pm?
Tim, are you reading this?
The proximity to the U District market should rule out Saturday, and between Fremont and Ballard, Sunday is a bad choice, too. I don’t think the Wallingford market has a chance at surviving if it moves to the weekend.
Having to move away from Wallingford Center isn’t the worst thing. I remember when the Ballard market started out in a bank parking lot (where the library is now), and moved down to Ballard Ave once it was large enough to justify that. On some of the busier evenings, I got the impression that Wallingford could benefit from a similar change in location.
I’ve often wondered why the market closes so early. While living in San Diego for college the OB Farmers Market was an exciting gathering. If I remember right it started around 4 or 5 and went till 8 or 9. The OB Market is what began drawing me to the plurality of goods provided locally. My wife and I regularly enjoy visiting the different markets in the neighborhoods.
I would agree that moving the Wallingford Farmers Market to the weekend would be a mute point, as stated above.
As one of the pastors at Seattle First Church of the Nazarene, I believe if there truly is a need for a new location – the Discovery House parking lot (behind Dick’s, home to Mosaic coffee house) could be a viable option for housing the Weekly Farmers Market.
If all this discussion is true, and we have a possibility of not having a local Wallingford Farmers Market, let’s encourage those in charge to explore options around the neighborhood and include the Discovery House parking lot in further discussions.
I would hate to see Wallingford lose a market entirely. Fremont and University are pretty close, but they’re a challenge to walk to. @Tim Smith, thanks for your willingness to join in the discussion with a possible venue; and I completely agree with looking into some later hours if at all possible, taking advantage of our long summer evenings.
I checked the web site for the Wallingford Market (a subsidiary of the Fremont market, it seems) — http://www.fremontmarket.com/wallingford/index.html — and I think the right contact email would either be Organizer(at)SeattleMarkets(dot)*org or the “Market Master” (heh. Awesome): Judy(at)SeattleMarkets(dot)org*. I don’t think we should flood them, but maybe a few people with ideas and/or hosting space want to reach out to those folks to see what they have to say about the move from Wallingford Center?
*(Trying to respect their desire for spam reduction by writing the email addresses that way.)
I’m a huge fan of the Ballard farmer’s market and the University farmer’s market. I have never been able to make the Wallingford market simply because of the time slot. A move to Saturday would be extremely desirable especially if it moves to GSC which is only two blocks from my house. 🙂
Like meganc I also would hate to see Wallingford lose a market even though I can’t get there. I’ve lived in cities where there are no farmer’s markets and it’s just awful.
Hello Community,
It is great to hear your opinions regarding relocation of the Wallingford Farmers Market. I would like to give you an update on the situation at hand. For the past four years, Wallingford Center has donated space to the Wallingford Farmers Market and has enjoyed sponsoring this event and supporting local agriculture. Increased occupancy of the Center, however, has necessitated that Wallingford Center retain a larger portion of its parking lot for customer and resident use. Therefore, notice was given to the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce & the Seattle Farmers Market Association in the beginning of November 2009 that Wallingford Center could no longer host the 2010 Wallingford Farmers Market at its current location in the Wallingford Center parking lot. Given Wallingford Center’s commitment to the Farmers Market, the Center offered use of the south end of the parking lot and the west side of the property (all the way to the north corner of N 45th and Wallingford Ave N) for a new market location. The Seattle Farmers Market Association has opted to seek to out other alternatives, but their efforts have not yet produced permission for a new location. Wallingford Center has been and will continue to be supportive of their efforts to find a new space and we continue to be open to providing space for the market within the alternate locations at the Center we have outlined to them. All groups involved are still in negotiations with no clear outcome for 2010. The Seattle Farmers Market Association is also working with SDOT and the City of Seattle in hopes of securing other locations within the Wallingford Neighborhood. Wallingford Center and Lorig Management Services hope the Seattle Farmers Market Association and the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce will be able to secure an adequate alternative space for the 2010 farm season.
What about the grounds behind the Home of the Good Shephard.
The same organization (Seattle Farmers Market Association) ran into problems on Queen Anne and the neighborhood took over management.
[ posted same at another page – but i’ll add this: we are determined to keep our great Farmers Market here! ]
wow, this has really become a concern of the whole community – you’ll hear more updates at tonight’s Wallingford Community Council meeting ( which was already planned ).
since the Farmer’s Market is sponsored by, and is a project of, the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce, we should be one of the first stops for info. i’ve been working on the potential moving of our Market for a couple months, and the Wallingford Center management has been quite helpful.
we’ll post after tonight’s WCC meeting, and anyone interested can also call or come by Not A Number any time to get info straight from me. thanks for all your support!
Kara, Wallingford Chamber Prez / owner, Not a Number
Can’t we use the space where the pit is on Stoneway? Half of it is not a pit, just an empty lot! Maybe it would motivate the community to take the space back. It is an eyesore and a stupid hole!
Whoever owns it has no right to leave it for years like this unused.
Hi-
one of the great reasons why my family goes to the Wallingford farmers market located in the heart of Wallingford is that we can take a nice stroll through the neighborhood – no cars, no parking lots, no traffic. We admire beautiful gardens, and meet our neighbors. As a European it is very important to me to give my children this gift of belonging to a neighborhood. Walking to the market became our tradition that builds their memories of home. For us a center location, within the neighborhood, is crucial.