Farmers are Fundamental
Farmers are Fundamental
“The Market’s marvelous flowers, fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and meats don’t have to travel far. They come from farmers working the region’s rich agricultural land. As suburbanization, rising land prices, and climate change have made farming more difficult, the Market supports the farmers who are at the heart of its mission.
The ‘Meet the Producer’ sign at the entrance of the Market references a foundational principle: Table space is assigned only to those who raise, produce, or make the goods they sell.”
Learn More About This Time in Pike Place Market History
In 1907, the price of produce in Seattle was soaring – especially the price of onions, which jumped from 10 cents a pound to a dollar. Farmers were cut out of the profits, and both the growers and customers were furious. That summer, Seattle City Councilman Thomas Revelle took up the price-gouging cause. In researching a solution, Revelle discovered a never-implemented 1896 ordinance that allowed the city to set aside land for public markets, and in July, he proposed the city cut out the commission-house middlemen by designating a public marketplace where customers could buy goods directly from farmers.
On August 17, 1907, a damp, cloudy Saturday morning, crowds of women shoppers seeking fresh produce and bargains descended upon Pike Place for the opening day of the market. The handful of farmers who showed up sold all their produce within minutes.
Over 100 years later, farmers remain at the heart of the Market’s “Meet the Producer” mission. More than ninety Washington state farmers sell fresh produce, flowers, and specialty farm products year-round.
In the peak summer months, the Market also operates a handful of farmers’ markets in downtown neighborhoods. These satellite markets were launched in 2009 to provide Market farmers with additional revenue opportunities. Other benefits include cultivating a connection with a growing population of city residents and introducing the Market to the legions of recent arrivals working in Seattle’s tech industry.
However, local farmers are heavily impacted by inflation, urbanization, and changes to the climate. Since the Spring of 2020, the Pike Place Market Foundation has invested nearly $1 million and hundreds of grants to support the sustainability and resiliency of farmers who sell at Pike Place Market. Other initiatives are underway to shore up local farming in the region to support the original purpose of the Market and the PDA is working to advance the programs identified in the 2024 Pike Place Market Master Plan to support farmers’ financial sustainability.
To learn more about some of our Market farmers and the history of the Market, read our digital history book Inside Pike Place Market: Building a Model Public Market into the 21st Century.