10 Cool Things You Need to Know About The West Seattle Farmers Market Move to the Street

The West Seattle Farmers Market is making history June 14, permanently relocating to California Avenue. Here are some fascinating factoids about that monumental move.

1. There will be way more room to shop. Set up in the parking lot off SW Alaska Street since it began in 1999, the Market will grow from 16,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet on the street. “The current space has served us well, but we’ve just gotten too big,” said Wade Bennett from Rockridge Orchards, one of the first farmers at this market.

2. The expanded space makes room for 9 new vendors including Mariposa Farm, Left Foot Farm, Nelli Farm, Yellow Belly Farm, Starvation Alley and Seola Bee, which sells honey from hives kept in West Seattle.

3. For the first time ever, this market will have prepared food for sale, and the carefully curated cooks including Falafel Salam and Girls Gone BBQ have West Seattle roots. Loki will introduce its popular wild salmon sliders and hash featuring Olsen Farms potatoes. And the West Seattle Junction Association – big supporters of the Market and this move – are supplying some sidewalk cafe tables.

4. More than a dozen of the original market vendors will be making the move: Willie Green’s Organic Farm, Stoney Plains, Blong’s Garden, Holmquist Hazelnuts, Lee Lor Garden, Martin Family Orchards, Razey Orchards, Tonnemaker Family Orchards, Whistling Train Farm, Rockridge Orchards, Xai Cha, Youa Her and Small River.

5. This isn’t the first time the Market has set up on California. It made its first appearance on West Seattle’s main drag during Harvest Festival in 2012. “It looked beautiful and the community really loved it,” said Chris Curtis, executive director of the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance. It’s been a regular date every Halloween weekend since, and that success planted the seed for this historic move.

6. Hurdles that had to be cleared included meeting with the city’s Department of Transportation, informing all the businesses that would be affected by the street closure and forking over hefty sums of money for new signs, street closure permits heavy duty barricades. “It’s not very glamorous, but this move is costing us about $21,000,” said Ms. Curtis.

7. There’s been unprecedented community support. “People love to come out and roam around when the streets are closed in West Seattle,” said Susan Melrose, executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association. “This move will help build on the vibrant feel, making it even more of a destination. It’s very exciting, and the businesses are very much looking forward to it.” Also, the organizers of the West Seattle Garden Tour have pledged a financial gift to help pay for some of the moving expenses.

8. This market will continue to reflect the unique West Seattle community with the regular presence of the Kiwanis Club, an organization that serves coffee to vendors as they set up, and the very popular Masters Gardeners, which draws crowds to its booth from spring to fall. Farmers also routinely make end of the day donations to the area food bank and nearby Senior Center.

9. One of the Market’s big boosters, the wine store called Bin 41, is in a perfect spot for shoppers to stop by after making their purchases and ask the knowledgeable staff about pairing recommendations.

10. Post-Market brunching will be even easier with the new set-up, as shoppers will be tempted by the sweet and savory scents coming from Junction faves like Easy Street Records Cafe, Jak’s Grill, Bakery Nouveau, Ma’Ono Fried Chicken and many more.