What a glorious spring day to open the Garden Market in downtown Edmonds. We would like to thank all who came out to enjoy the day last weekend and shop with our wonderful farmers and other vendors. Every vendor took the time at the end of the day to say how welcome they felt, and how happy they were to be back in downtown Edmonds seeing so many old friends.
I personally would like to thank those who stopped by with suggestions for how to help us make the market safer for all the residents of Edmonds. As we all know, these are changing times, and as we experienced on Saturday, some changes are going to have to be made to ensure that our market remains a safe place for all our residents and visitors to come and shop for fresh produce from local farms.
The first change we will be instituting is reserving the first 90 minutes of the market for high-risk customers. During the first 90 minutes of the market (9-10:30 a.m.) all customers will be required to wear a mask for their safety and the safety of others. Signs will be posted around the market to ensure that customers are aware of the rules while we adjust to this new policy. We will also have some masks available for purchase at the market entrance for those who may have forgotten their masks at home.
In addition to this, all vendors will be required to wear masks while selling at the market per city requirements. As guests in the city, we realize that wearing masks is a sign of respect for our customers, a sign that we care and want to keep the community members safe.
Upon arriving at the market, many customers asked why we were limiting the entry to our outdoor market. The reason is simple. In order to promote proper social distancing within the market, the Snohomish Health District has set a limit to the number of customers inside based on the number of vendors. Because of this new restriction, we are requesting that whenever possible, only one family member enter the market to shop. When groups of two or more enter the market area, it means the next customers have to wait that much longer. It also makes it harder to maintain proper social distancing. So, even though the line went down the block now and then, it moved fairly quickly as customers smoothly walked through the market and exited by the Fountain on Main Street.
As most of our customers know, we have been a no-dog market for several years now. This year, due to Snohomish Health District standards, this rule will be strictly enforced. This means that only certified service dogs will be allowed in the market.
We also noticed many customers asked farmers about how to pre-order. We are highly encouraging both our vendors and customers to work out systems to place their orders in advance so that their shopping time is reduced at the market. We will continue to promote how to pre-order on the Edmonds Historical Museum Blog and the Edmonds Museum Summer Market Facebook page, where our market updates will be posted regularly.
So, thank you Edmonds for allowing us to be part of your downtown family. We look forward to returning and working with you through the next few weeks to create a truly all-inclusive market for the Edmonds community.
Edmonds Museum Photograph Collection A to Z
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