Opening Day at the NEW Queen Anne Farmers' Market

Thursday was opening day at the Queen Anne Farmers' market at its new location, with its new management. I woke up that morning feeling really excited about it, and it was obvious from the moment I arrived that the sentiment was shared by the management, the volunteers, the customers and the vendors.

There was some question a while back about whether the market was even going to happen this year. To give a bit of background: the Queen Anne Neighbors for Responsible Growth decided a few years back that they wanted a farmers' market in their neighborhood, so they contracted with a local organization that starts and runs a number of markets. The event was very busy on opening day, but it sagged the second year, a phenomenon that's actually quite common.

This year the schoolyard where the market had been held was no longer available. The market organization favored a site in another schoolyard, which had plenty of space but was a bit off the beaten path. The neighborhood group wanted to close a street adjacent to the neighborhood's main arterial. It would be a much smaller area, but more centrally located. Unable to agree, the two groups parted ways and the neighborhood organization decided to go ahead with the project on their own.

There's a tremendous amount of work involved in setting up a farmers' market, and it really helps to have some experience with the permitting and red tape, as well as established relationships with vendors. These guys took it all on, learning as they went along, with enthusiasm, thoroughness, and humility.

Opening day was great. It felt like a block party, with neighbors meeting neighbors and stopping to spend time. I'm so glad to be a part of this.