The Problem With Seattle’s Farmers Markets

Chris Curtis, director of Seattle's Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, calls 2008 a golden year for farmers markets in America, "because of the media focus on local foods and Michael Pollan's book [In Defense of Food]—an amazing confluence of good information about the benefits of shopping at farmers markets." Thanks to the great publicity last year, shopper counts and farm sales at her six markets (which include U District and West Seattle) jumped.

This year, though, the recession has hit. All around Puget Sound, farmers, farmers-market vendors, and market organizers like Curtis are reporting that sales have dipped. The funny thing is, this is one of the few areas where this drop is occurring. Though no national farmers-market sales data exists, Stacy Miller, head of the national Farmers Market Coalition, says, "in other regions, I hear the exact opposite is the case, particularly in areas where farmers markets and local food systems are still growing in number, size, and popularity." Jackie Aitchison of the Washington State Farmers Market Association adds that throughout the state, most markets are seeing about a 10 percent increase in sales over last year.

Tell that to Wade Bennett, who mans the Rockridge Orchard stand at the Columbia City market. Bennett planted all 1,200 apple and pear trees on his Enumclaw land himself, and is a longtime farmers-market participant who sells at eight markets in Seattle and Bellevue. "We're down 17–20 percent total gross," he says. Giving a peculiar twinge to the sales decline is that this year was so fantastic for productivity. With last December's fierce weather and the heat wave this summer, his trees have exploded with beautiful fruit. And while less money is coming in, Bennett's labor, insurance costs, and taxes haven't changed. "Farmers make an average of 15–20 percent net profit, so if the prices drop, it's really difficult." (If 20 percent net profit seems fantastic, Bennett says it means he's essentially earned $1.50–$2 an hour for his work on the farm and farm stand.)

Anita Ross of Anita's Crepes, whose cooks rock turntable-like crepe irons at 11 markets around the Puget Sound, has the same complaint. "Gross sales are down more than 30 percent," she says. "It's odd, because they've gone up every year before that."

As a host of news stories have reported, grocery sales around the nation are down. It's not that people are shopping less, it's that they're buying cheaper, and thinking more about what items are essential. And the same thing appears to be happening at farmers markets, where the organic, local food often comes at a premium. Even within the farmers market, as Bennett says, "the drop seems to be hitting most at the high end—heirloom tomatoes, breads, wines—while things like lettuce, potatoes, and fruit are doing fine." A swing around the Columbia City Market last week seemed to bear witness to that: Farmers selling produce at the largest Seattle markets reported they were holding tight, while flower sellers and prepared-food vendors have noticed greater dips.

While Curtis reports that she's only seeing a 2 to 3 percent total drop in sales (and that includes the Broadway Market, which grew this year and has seen sales jump 15 percent), the vendors are showing higher negative numbers. Competition is partially to blame. As many of the markets grow, individual farmers are finding that they're competing within the market—shoppers can choose from four cherry sellers instead of two, or one more baker selling equally good danishes. Tweaking the mix of farmers and products is one of the central problems for any farmers market, Curtis says, and an issue the alliance monitors year after year. Jodi Bardinelli, director of the Kirkland Wednesday Farmers Market, says her market has survived a move this year to the waterfront without seeing total sales decrease. Nevertheless, the market has grown, and she's been disappointed to lose a couple of good vendors who've complained they couldn't make enough money there. "You come with a $20 bill, and you can only spend it once," she says. "You've got to make it go farther."

What hasn't changed—in fact, what seems to be increasing—is the popularity of neighborhood farmers markets. There are three new markets in the Puget Sound area this year, plus two Pike Place Market satellite "mini-markets." While some of the more established markets are seeing slight drops in traffic, others are seeing the crowds roll in. Jon Hegeman, founder and organizer of the Ballard Farmers Market, as well as markets in Wallingford, Madrona, and the new one in Fremont, says his four markets are holding even precisely because they continue to gain in popularity. [This story has been corrected since it was first posted. It originally listed the Queen Anne Farmers Market among those run by Hegeman. That market is now independently operated.]The Ballard Sunday market has seen traffic rise from 7,000 a day to 10,000 in two years. "We have noticed a slight dip in the amount of money [individual] people are spending," he says, "but with the rise in attendance, the vendors haven't noticed a decrease in revenues, which is really good."