PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County Farmers Markets now include art and craft vendors, and the Port Townsend market offers online delivery by bike.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jefferson County Farmers Market Association (JCFM) had restricted the market to a handful of food and grocery vendors in person and had set up an online ordering program that expanded to more food vendors.
Now the team has started to bring back art vendors and started up a grocery delivery by bike in Port Townsend.
“This is an important time for us to consider how we can support the community we want to see as we move out of COVID-19,” said Amanda Milholland, JCFM director, in a press release.
“If we want our small art and craft businesses to survive, we have to invest in them just as we do with the other businesses that are opening with modified services during Phase 2.
“Without the farmers market income, art vendors have been scraping by, some taking other employment opportunities or having to face the possibility of closing their business. It is with relief that art and craft vendors return to the market.”
Four art and craft vendors opened last weekend at the Port Townsend Farmers Market: LaughinGnome Pottery, Turyn McBride Ceramics, ThreeStrands Handwoven and Dimensional Color.
Shirley Moss, the Chainmaker, opened this weekend at the Port Townsend Market, Milholland said.
Sunday marked the opening day of the Chimacum Farmers Market. Turyn McBride Ceramics and Three Strands Handwoven were the two art and craft vendors there, Milholland said.
The Saturday Port Townsend market also marked the start of the new delivery program that JCFM has launched with the assistance of Peddler PT, which works in conjunction with the online sales platform that JCFM operates from Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. through Thursdays at 1 p.m.
Customers can choose to either pick up their groceries at the Port Townsend Community Center at 620 Tyler St., or if they live within Port Townsend city limits, they can choose to spend $12 extra for home delivery.
Customers who use EBT/SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits must pay for their items in person, so they can not use delivery, Milholland said.
So far, the market season has not drawn nearly as many customers as in the past, due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Safety precautions are in place, Milholland said, and she hopes more people will use the market and support local vendors.
“It is a priority for us to provide a direct-to-consumer sales venue to our full diversity of vendors, including art and craft,” she said.
“With two months of experience running our modified farmers market, we have tested strategies established to support community health as we slowly expand our vendor number.
“We will continue to provide at least 6 feet between vendor businesses and expand the market footprint as needed to support physical distancing as we increase our offerings.”
The Jefferson County Farmers Markets are on Saturdays in Port Townsend on Tyler Street from 9 a.m. to noon, and Sundays in Chimacum at 9122 Rhody Drive from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. for seniors and immunocompromised community members, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the general public.
In Clallam County, the Port Angeles Farmers Market is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gateway Pavilion, the Sequim Farmers Market is on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sequim City Hall Plaza on West Cedar Street, and the Forks Farm Market is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the second Saturday of each month through December.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached by email at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
