The Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners on Jan. 7 approved the addition of a new $10 fee category for vendors with sales under $300 at the Bellingham Dockside Market.
The new fee category will lessen the financial burden for new fishermen, food and arts and crafts vendors, said Cari Chan, the port’s community outreach coordinator.
“That is the main goal,” Chan said. “Making sure that we can support small businesses. Make sure that people are able to continue selling at the market if it's of interest to them, and if they feel like they're being successful there.”
The Port of Bellingham took governance of the Dockside Market in 2022 when the market consisted solely of fishermen. They adopted a fee structure where vendors with sales under $1,000 pay a $35 fee and vendors with sales over $1,000 pay a $50 fee.
Before the $10 fee category, lower-earning vendors paying for the $35 fee lost as much as 29% of their revenue, according to a memorandum sent to the port commission.
“I saw that the numbers as far as what our new vendors were making, it just wasn't the same as what our fishermen were making,” Chan said. “We felt it was unfair they had to pay the same $35 fee as someone who was making triple as them.”
The Dockside Market has been held every first and third Saturday of the month at Squalicum Harbor since October 2020.
The incorporation of food and art vendors at the Dockside Market has contributed to a diverse market, said Terry Phair, owner of Lummi Seafood Market.
“It’s reasonable compared to brick and mortar,” Phair said.
Chan said the Dockside Market moved forward with plans to expand and incorporate arts, crafts and food vendors
“It has been over a year since we've had those kinds of vendors, but really in the last year, we've seen more growth in that area,” Chan said.
Despite the memorandum predicting less revenue to the port from its lower-earning vendors, the lowered risk will attract and retain more vendors.
“They're less likely to say, you know what, this just isn't working for me, I'm just going to pull out of the market altogether,” Chan said.
The Dockside Market has maintained its retention of vendors and implemented the $10 fee as a way to prepare for the future, Chan said.
“We haven't lost out on many businesses,” Chan said. “And if [businesses] have, it's because they either have a different business model or decided that doing market direct sales wasn't what they wanted to do.”
The expansion of the Dockside Market has created a welcoming environment for established vendors and newcomers, said Port of Bellingham Public Affairs Administrator Mike Hogan.
“It lends to the port's mission of economic development and creating a really cool place that people want to go to and experience,” said Hogan.
DuPree Nugent (he/him) is a City News reporter this winter. He is a second-year student studying news/editorial journalism and creative writing. In his free time he enjoys long-distance running, listening to music, and reading and writing short stories. He can be reached at dupreenugent.thefront@gmail.com
