2/22/2006 12:06:00 PM New farmers market manager named
A shopper looks at a display of flowers for sale at the Port Townsend Farmers Market. The market's season runs from late April through the middle of November this year. – Leader file photo by Steven J. Barry
Fans of farm-fresh local produce will be able to shop outdoors from springtime all the way to the weekend before Thanksgiving this year.
That’s because the Port Townsend Farmers Market is extending its season to meet growing demand.
Along with a longer run, the market also has a new coordinator.
Port Townsend resident Libby Urner arrives at the market with nearly 20 years of experience in marketing and writing in the high-tech industry, along with extensive experience in planning events. She also has been active with local organizations, serving for six years as manager of exhibitors for the Wooden Boat Festival and for two years as chairwoman for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s Low Tide Festival.
Also new to the market this year is site coordinator Nick Hill, a retired college professor who also has worked with Colinwood Farms. Hill will handle all the logistics of managing vendors on market day.
Urner said she has long been a fan of the farmers market, but taking over as coordinator is her first formal involvement with its operation.
She is following in the footsteps of Harvindar Singh, who led the market through four years of unprecedented growth. Singh resigned the position last fall to pursue opportunities out of state.
Since 2001, sales at the market grew by 400 percent. The number of people selling produce and other items at the market has gone up too, with an average of 50 vendors showing up each week during the 2005 season compared to 40 vendors in 2004.
The market has undergone significant changes in the two years since city construction projects pushed it out of downtown into the Uptown Historic Business District. While the number of tourist visitors dropped, hurting sales of craft items, the number of local residents frequenting the market increased. The move also helped boost sales of produce and processed foods and drew more vendors.
The market’s success has played a role in the stabilization and expansion of the local organic farm community. And thanks to its partnerships with education, business and government, the operation has gained recognition as a force for local economic development.
Urner said her goal is to maintain the strategies that have proven successful while trying out new ways to strengthen the market.
“I’m not anticipating any major changes this year,” she said. “I’m hoping to try to build on Harv’s success.”
Developing the market’s brand identity as not only a source for locally grown food but also as a community gathering place is key to boosting local support, Urner said.
“I really see the farmers market as Port Townsend’s front porch,” she said. “If I’m doing my job right, everyone wants to be there on a Saturday morning.”
Building attendance at the Wednesday evening market is also a top goal for Urner. Offering music, children’s activities and other attractions could help attract a larger customer base, which is key to making the market profitable for vendors.
Urner said one of her strengths is bringing people together to work toward a common goal, a skill she believes is key to shaping the market’s success. Building partnerships with other organizations will help it grow and continue to expand its role as a force for economic development in Port Townsend and East Jefferson County.
“I tend to be good at connecting people to people, and a big part of the coordinator job is doing just that,” she said.
While the number of vendors has increased to the point where the market is almost too big for its current site on Tyler Street in front of the Port Townsend Community Center, there are no immediate plans to find a new location, Urner said.
However, the market’s board of directors is still thinking about finding a new spot with a little more elbow room, according to Karen Lee, market chairwoman.
“We can keep it where it is and stay the size we are, or we can try to grow,” she said. “And if we grow, then we’ll need another space.”
(Contact Staff Writer Kasia Pierzga at kpierzga@ptleader.com.)
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