Fresh from an International Farmers Market conference last weekend in San Francisco, Port Townsend Farmers Market Manager Will O'Donnell was excited Monday about the market opening Saturday, May 2.

It was the farmers market that brought O'Donnell and his wife, Kate Dean, who is Small Farms program director for the Washington State University Extension in Port Hadlock, to Jefferson County a decade ago.

And it's the same farmers market - a market that has grown in that decade from 15 to 70 vendors and from $80,000 to $800,000 in annual sales - that is keeping the family in Jefferson County, in an Uptown home not far from the market.

While the worldwide economy might be in the doldrums, O'Donnell says the future of the farmers market is bright.

"Our success rate is off the charts, and that's due to the fantastic and enlightened community we have. We have the perfect demographics for a farmers market," he said of a community that is middle-aged, highly educated and interested in healthy foods.

Compared to other markets in the United States, Port Townsend's market would be considered a medium-size to large market in terms of the number of vendors and sales, he said he learned over the weekend.

In fact, it's unusual to have such a vibrant market in a community of only 8,500.

One thing O'Donnell learned at the conference, put on by the Project for Public Spaces, is that to be sustainable the market needs a long-term commitment with the City of Port Townsend, not just a year-to-year agreement as it has now. And that's something O'Donnell plans to work on.

In Spain, for example, there are 46 farmers markets in Barcelona alone, and they were "written into the city plans in the 1800s."

"We have a year-to-year agreement with the city. We have a great relationship with the city, and we're proposing a three-year contract," he said of the market blocking off Tyler Street at Lawrence Street on Saturdays and Polk Street at Lawrence Street on Wednesdays.

For now, the market runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays May 2 through Nov. 21 and from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays starting June 10 on Polk Street.

"We often hear rumors about where the market will be going," O'Donnell said of wanting assurance of where the market will be located.

Elsewhere in the world, like Spain, Mexico, Hungary, Columbia and England, farmers markets are "valued as community space," he said.

While in San Francisco, O'Donnell toured five markets, including the Ferry Plaza market that features mixed use of space, which O'Donnell said "creates a buzz" by promoting the area, as does the Port Townsend Farmers Market in Uptown adjacent to the community center and its flourishing business community.

Although O'Donnell expects the market to be impacted by Friday's closure of the Hood Canal Bridge for six weeks, "I expect to see some growth this year," he added.

In an email, O'Donnell said the bridge closure really is a time to celebrate.

"The bridge closure is a hardship, but it provides a great opportunity for us to celebrate what we already have right here at home, and to remind each other about it," he wrote.

New at market

New this year is an ATM machine at the market booth that will enable customers to get wooden tokens worth $20, engraved with "In Flora We Trust." The tokens can be cashed in for produce and crafts. Vendors will give change in cash to customers.

So, for example, if a Bentley cedar chair is $145 and a customer gets $160 from the ATM, the remaining $15 in U.S. cash can be used to buy a salmon sandwich or a pastry. Vendors then will be given checks in exchange for the wooden tokens.

Several vendors also are new, including three goat cheese vendors: Diana Dire of Whiskey Hill Farm, Suzanne Tyler of Wild Harvest Farm and Rachael VanLannen of Mystery Bay Farm. Tyler also has sheep milk cheese.

A wild mushroom vendor, Pacific Crest Foraging, also is new to the market but won't have a supply of edible plants until June.

Walker Mountain Meadows of Quilcene will supply fresh pork, lamb and beef, which will be cut and wrapped at a USDA-approved facility in Oregon.

George Rezendes, former owner of Crossroads Music, coordinates music for the market, and the marching orders for Rezendes are to showcase local talent and keep the music upbeat, which vendors say improves attitudes and sales.

There will be an abundant supply of plant starts for the first few markets, and customers should look for more cooking demonstrations than in the past, said O'Donnell.

In addition to adding vendors to the market, O'Donnell also hopes to serve vendors better. He's hoping to start a 501(c)3 arm of the market to work on education and to help vendors with marketing, publicity and training to promote sustainable agriculture in Jefferson County.

It's a new role for O'Donnell, and one he is looking forward to in the coming months.

"In 1999 Kate and I moved here because of the market," O'Donnell said of the family's interest in farming.

O'Donnell was a founder of Mt. Townsend Creamery, was a vendor for a number of years, served on the market's board of directors and wrote its first $30,000 grant in 2002 for market expansion.

"I was inspired to found Mt. Townsend Creamery in part because of the potential I saw from this market," he said.

For the future

While O'Donnell is focusing on vendor success, wife Kate Dean is interested in looking at big-picture issues such as access to land for farming.

Jefferson County was once noted for its large dairy farms, she said. Now, farms are smaller and more diverse.

At the same time, farmers also are seeing more land-use restrictions than in the past, O'Donnell said.

"There are a lot more opportunities and more restrictions for farmers in the 21st century," he said.

While farmers grapple with land-use issues and survivability, customers are questioning why fresh, organic produce costs more than other produce.

"Consumers and farmers are going to have to come together if they want to create a new local food economy," O'Donnell says of the perception that fresh produce isn't something all people can afford, while farmers say they can't make a living without fair prices.

Those are some of the fresh issues that are likely to be grist for conversation at the market this Saturday and throughout the year as the farmers market strives to succeed in a changing global economy.