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The Everett Farmers Market was started in 1994 by Marie Brayman with just a few vendors in an empty lot just west of what is now Lowes Hardware. Marie carried a vision and had the determination and patience to bring it about, with the support of a lot of people. Our old time vendors, Dwaine Weideman and Jack Dalton remember standing on large rocks in the rain and mud, with water running between their feet, waiting for customers to find the market.
When the Market moved to Port of Everett property, the parking lot was unpaved, so wet feet was still a discouraging problem. |
Since those early days, the Port of Everett has paved the lot, added electricity, added access to fresh water, and even added 220 volt electricity at our request, all to help make the market a success. The Port Staff has worked with the Market Managers and the market's neighbors to allow everyone to share facilities and be successful. This is one way that the Port Commissioners have been able to directly contribute to the quality of life of the Everett community as a whole. |
Our market is strongly supported by Lombardi's Restaurant to the south, and Scuttlebutt's Brewery to the north, in spite of the extra attention required of them by Market activity. |
The Current Chapter |
| It started out being a normal Sunday in August, 2001 except our scheduled trip to Jetty Island. We arrived at the appointed time to check in with the Ranger and were told the ferry trip to the island had been cancelled due to possible rain showers. We felt like whining but left that to a fellow Jetty Island hopeful. "Now what do we do?" The Farmers Market is open, "Let's go shopping". |
At the market there were two sandwich boards indicating the market was for sale. Marie Brayman had been trying to sell it for about one year as she was moving to California to join her sister. Something clicked in Tone and we decided to email Marie and ask a couple of questions. She responded a week or two later. The next step was getting together face to face over dinner. It was a perfect fit. There were only a few weeks left before the market closed for 2001 season so we watched and learned as much as possible. |
This is now our 7th year of running the market and it feels really good. The Market is working for the Everett community, the Port of Everett, the vendors and, of course, you, the customers. In August last year, we ran a market survey which included counting the approximate number of customers visiting and we counted a staggering 9000+. We also discovered that most of our customers had come to the waterfront specifically to shop the market. We'll be doing another survey this year. We'll let you know what our customers tell us. |
We at the Market, love being a part of your summer. See you on Sunday! |
Inger & Tone Hutton |
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