Haley Davis, owner of Silver Creek Farm poses for portrait at Barkley Market. // Photo by Rob Stanley
By Rob Stanley
The Bellingham Farmers Market now features a weekly market at the Barkley Village Green. The location provides vendors access to a new customer community and gives market-goers a fresh environment to shop.
The new market features food trucks, vendors, picnic tables and live music. The market will run until Sept. 25 and is open from 2-6 p.m. every Wednesday.
According to Bellingham Farmers Market director Lora Liegel, the Saturday market downtown is at capacity for vendors and with the Barkley expansion, a greater variety of vendors are able to do business in Bellingham.
“We’ve been able to bring in a few more new vendors,” Lora Liegel said. “The folks that maybe weren’t able to get into a Saturday spot, it opened up a spot for them on Wednesday.”
There were about 20 available stalls for vendors to set up in the Fairhaven Market and there are currently 35-40 available stalls at the new market. Additionally, food trucks are able to set up adjacent to the market, an amenity not available at the Fairhaven location.
“It’s a great, beautiful outdoor space,” Liegel said. “It’s a great family activity, great for all workers in the surrounding buildings.”
The market has a weekly music series, sponsored by 92.9 KISM, that features local musicians. A schedule for the series can be found on the market’s website bellinghamfarmers.org/barkley-market.
Market-goers have voiced concerns about the Fairhaven market’s parking, an issue that the Barkley market looks to solve. According to Liegel, the area surrounding the new market has ample parking and is less crowded compared to the downtown location.
Haley Davis of Silver Creek Farm, an all-organic microgreen vendor, has seen success in the early stages of the market. “We’ve sold more here than at any other market,” Davis said.
// Photo by Rob Stanley
Silver Creek Farm is a mother-daughter operation from Bellingham that sells an array of vegetables and microgreens. According to Davis, the farm does not grow their vegetables with any pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers.
Davis appreciates that the patrons of the Barkley market are adventurous and willing to try new things.
Braeden Kaemingk, owner of Pangea Ferments, said that the new location allows him to hit a different mix of people. He also likes the tight-knit environment that the Barkley market inspires. “It’s more intimate,” Kaemingk said. “Feels more like a family.”
Market patrons Elaine Minamizono and Soraya Carter both enjoy the safe atmosphere for their children to play. On the lawn, the market offers games for guests to play with like cornhole and Jenga.
Minamizono likes the parking access of the Barkley market, noting that the downtown market is “crowded, not easy to navigate.”
In the future, the market may add events on a monthly basis. Liegel said that the market is considering adding a kids day, with a tentative date set for July 24.
“We’re hoping to keep building up as a nice market for the neighborhood in the Bellingham farmers market community,” Liegel said.
Saturday farmers market is still at the original location downtown.
