Stalwart Vancouver and upstart Camas markets have one thing in common – staying power
It's become a spring and summertime ritual for thousands of Southwest Washingtonians making their way to farmers markets from Camas to Vancouver, with the air ringing with live music as vendors display arts, crafts and, of course, fresh produce.
Following the trend of buying locally and organically-grown food, farmers markets have sprouted up throughout the region. And while the Vancouver Farmers Market in Esther Short Park is an aged-staple, its Camas equivalent – now in its third year – is definitely holding its own in terms of growth.
The Farmers Market on N.E. Fourth Avenue between Everett and Franklin streets in downtown Camas grew from 25 vendors in its inaugural year in 2008 to 45 signed up this year. Annual attendance at the market, held every Wednesday from May 26 to Sept. 29, nearly doubled to an estimated 15,000 from 2008 to 2009, according to director of finance and operations Jamie Morin.
In addition, reported year-to-year total market sales rose from $42,873 to $79,694, Morin said. "The great part about a farmers market is that the money spent at the market stays in the community," she said.
The first year of the market took place on the "fringe of downtown Camas" and had only mild success, a fact Morin mainly attributes to the market's Saturday morning schedule. "The farmers and producers have many other, more established, markets to choose from on Saturdays," Morin said.
So in 2009, the Camas Farmers Market moved to Wednesday afternoons, taking it out of competition with other markets and coinciding with community music in nearby Crown Park.
While the Camas Farmers Market struggled to find its own identity, the more-established Vancouver Farmers Market had another, much more formidable obstacle – the recession.
Happening every Saturday and Sunday morning on Esther Street in downtown Vancouver, the market – now in its 20th year – has seen record-breaking numbers, with an average of 15,000 visitors per weekend since its opening March 20, according to on-site manager Jordan Boldt.
However, Boldt says the sales have been in step with the less-than-impressive economy.
"In previous years, vendors would sell five pounds of apples to customers. Now they are selling five apples," Boldt said. "Not that they are failing, but it is a significant dent."
The jump in attendance so far this year has at least helped boost retail market sales, according to Boldt.
2010 also marked a change in regulations, with the Vancouver market requiring vendors to grow 75 percent of what they sell in an effort to stop wholesale producers from undercutting small farmers, Boldt said.
However, the biggest problem both Camas and Vancouver seemed to face was one they could not control: the weather.
Morin said she hoped sunny skies would accompany the Camas market's scheduled events this season, including a "veggie derby" on Aug. 4 and "Tomato Days" on Aug. 25.
Meanwhile, Boldt took a much more methodical approach in his dealings with Mother Nature.
"I've made graphs of our down weeks and overlaid them with graphs of weather," Boldt said. "As long as the weather stays nice, we will have tons of customers."
