Vendors pitched their tents for the seventh year in a row at on Tuesday, May 29, and kicked off this year’s farmers market.
Susan Benson is the manager of the shopping center and helped organize the farmers market.
According to Benson, Tuesdays are generally slow days for the shopping center, and the farmers market has helped generate traffic. However, the mall’s stores aren’t the only stakeholders.
“We really needed to bring an added value to the community,” said Benson, and after seven years, the farmers market has become an institution in the neighborhood. “We’ve just got the best farmers and absolutely wonderful customers,” she said.
Bellevue residents can anticipate a variety of events at this year’s market including the All American Berry Pie Contest and Bites on July 17, and the annual salsa contest on Aug. 21. A full listing of the market’s events can be found in the Crossroads newsletter.
The glue that holds the farmers market together is truly the vendors. Ernest Moreno is participating for the first time this year with his wife. Together, they run Hermosa Mexican Foods and serve authentic tamales and Mexico City-style soft tacos. For Moreno, “business is booming,” because not many places in Bellevue serve authentic Mexican dishes.
For others, business is slower. Kaying Chang sells flowers with her family at the Old Farmers booth. According to Chang, business hasn’t been going well because a lot of farmers choose to sell flowers and the competition is stiff. Nonetheless, Chang sets up shop at Crossroads every Tuesday, as well as at farmers markets in Ballard, Edmonds and Bothell.
The is every Tuesday from noon to 6:30 p.m. It is located in the southeast parking lot on 15600 NE Eighth St.
Other farmers markets on the Eastside include:
- The Redmond Saturday Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- The Sammamish Farmers Market on Wednesday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- The Bellevue Farmers Market on Thursday 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- The Issaquah Farmers Market on Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- The Juanita Friday Market from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- The Kirkland Wednesday Market from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- The Mercer Island Farmers Market on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(MAIDA SULJEVIK is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.)
