EVERETT — The Sunday Everett Farmers Market is moving to downtown from its longtime home at the Port of Everett.
Its new spot starting Aug. 4 is on Wetmore Avenue along the city block between Hewitt Avenue and Wall Street. Parking downtown is free.
The market’s growing, but the solution was driven by umbrage over the port instituting a parking fee on market days. The port hired a parking management company to help mitigate conflicts between port visitors, boat launch users and market shoppers.
The market brings in approximately 5,000 patrons each week, according to officials.
City Councilwoman Brenda Stonecipher wrote a letter earlier this month contending the port shouldn’t be charging for public events such as the market. The cost to park is $2.
In a joint press statement on July 19, the city, the market and port was all smiles about the move. They said the legwork to solve the market issue began earlier this year.
The move is described in the joint statement as a “long-term solution that would benefit the community’s access to the market and enhances the opportunity for growth.”
Everett Farmers Market owners Karen Erickson and Gary Purves said in the news release that “We are excited with the opportunities that lie with our new location, and truly believe it will be in the best long-term interest of the market from an access and ADA perspective. We want to thank the Port of Everett for always being a good partner, and continuing to modify and adapt their infrastructure to support our needs, even though it’s an active construction site.”
“We look forward to having more size-appropriate markets on the waterfront going into the future,” Erickson and Purves said through the press release.
Port CEO Les Reardanz applauded in that news release that it’s good to have partners such as the city and the market willing to find a solution.
The market began operations at the port’s marina in 1993. It moved to elsewhere on the Port of Everett’s land to Boxcar Park because of ongoing waterfront development.
