Coupeville Farmers market booms in 2009

More and more people are looking locally for fresh food.

The Coupeville Farmers Market finished its year in October and enjoyed a successful season with a 20 percent increase in gross sales.

Coupeville Farmer’s Market Manager Peg Tennant and market President Dorothy Mueller attended the Nov. 24 Town Council meeting to share information about the strong farmers market that took place in 2009.

Tennant said the vendors selling at the Saturday markets earned $294,000, which equates to nearly $11,000 a week or $3,000 an hour. That is approximately 20 percent higher than 2008, which brought in approximately $236,000. With the increase in sales comes an increase in vendor numbers which went from an average of 32 in 2008 to an average of 45 in 2009.

The market sales have generally increased throughout the decade. In 2003, the gross sales for the market was $131,000.

“We’ve just been ecstatic on how that has continued to grow,” Tennant said.

The Coupeville Farmer’s Market starts in April and takes place every week, culminating with the HarvestFest in mid-October. The market is located in the large field behind the library on Alexander Street.

Mueller said during the meeting that the vendors have been working together to improve the conditions. She said a lot of referrals have been taking place between vendors and that one of the merchants built new picnic tables to be used during the market. New umbrellas will be installed next year.

Contact Whidbey News Times Staff reporter Nathan Whalen at nwhalen@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5058.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.