One day, while leaving her office at the Pantages Theater where she worked as the Director of Development, Marcia Moe witnessed a drug deal on the corner of 9th and Broadway. It was mid-day, in plain sight, with no attempt to hide it. That was a turning point for Marcia. She decided right then to do something to help improve downtown and make it a place worth visiting again.
The actual idea blossomed a few days later: Create a farmers market downtown. And not knowing whom to call to attempt such a thing, she decided to try it herself.
But let’s go back in time for some context. It’s 1989. Downtown Tacoma is not yet enjoying its current renaissance, and still shackled to its reputation as a dirty, uninspiring, and sometimes dangerous place. Foot traffic is minimal; trash on the sidewalks is not. Those working nearby rarely venture out for lunch, never mind a casual stroll. “At that time, people just didn’t go downtown unless they had to,” said Marcia. As a result, retail businesses and restaurants were struggling to pull customers into the downtown core.
Given those circumstances, Marcia’s dream of sprouting a market seemed unrealistic, particularly since she had no experience in running one. But she figured identifying the dream was the first step toward making it happen.
The second step was to call Norma Honeysett. At that time the two were only acquaintances, but Marcia knew Norma had a passion for farmers markets – and Tacoma – so she shared her idea. By the time they hung up, Norma was in. The two then spent the next nine months talking, scheming, and seeking solutions to a long list of problems and issues they had never confronted before. “We had no idea what we were doing,” said Marcia. “We just knew we were going to do it.”
A long list of challenges
And so, eager to share their vision revitalizing part of downtown, and running a surplus of enthusiasm, they set about recruiting others. But there were few converts in those early months. They reached out to dozens of individuals and organizations only to get one “no” after another – along with plenty of reasons why it couldn’t be done.
They were reminded that two previous Tacoma farmers markets had failed. They were told that moms with strollers would never venture into downtown. Experts assured them that local businesses would resent the intrusion and the parking woes a market would cause. When they held a wine and cheese reception at the Pantages to garner support, just five people attended. Four of those were Marcia, Norma, and their husbands. “The real problem was we were dealing with realists rather than dreamers like us,” said Marcia.
Undaunted, the two created a budget for the market that came to about $6,000. Which was roughly $6,000 more than they had at the time. So they got creative, ultimately gathering enough donations to cover basic operations and promotion for the first season. One sympathetic marketing manager at the City of Tacoma helped design and distribute posters, and also created sandwich board signs with balloons tied to them – a low-cost, effective signage feature that would endure for many years at the market.
When they finally settled on the first location for the market – Antique Row – and secured the necessary permits from the city, many business owners on the block protested that it would drive away customers, hinder access to their shops, and leave a mess behind. One proprietor fumed that if even a scrap of trash remained following the market, they would demand its immediate closure. Hardly the neighborhood reception they were hoping for. But, again, they smiled and pressed on.
Securing vendors for the first season was another challenge. “We had to con them,” said Norma. Whatever the con was, it worked. Finally, nearly a year after hatching the idea, about 30 vendors were in place on a June morning in 1990 for opening day of the market. Marcia and Norma set up their sandwich boards, tied on some balloons, and waited.
The right idea at the right time
Of the many things worrying them on that morning, attendance and weather topped the list. They needn’t have worried. The weather was perfect. In fact, it set a precedent: It wouldn’t rain on a market Thursday for the next two and one-half years.
As far as customers went, opening day was a “joyous mob scene,” and nearly every vendor sold out completely. Marcia and Norma helped fill the street by asking as many friends as possible to attend the first market and spend at least $10. From there, the market gradually gained traction and no further friendly bribes were required.
Before long, Thursdays were the big day downtown, with the market at the center of the action. The Antique Row merchants were soon enjoying the economic benefits of bringing so many people past their storefronts, and a renewed sense of community built up slowly and steadily over that first market season. That momentum and vitality continues to build to this day.
Looking back, Marcia said that “failure never entered our minds.” Norma agreed, adding that “Tacoma was just finding itself again around 1990, and the idea of the market fit into the new vision of what the city could be. It was the right idea at the right time.”
Fast forward 25 years, and the idea that a farmers market can play a major role in revitalizing the downtown core is a reality. Today, the Broadway market is stronger than ever welcoming more than 70,000 visitors a year, and generating more than $625,000 in revenue for small businesses in our community and beyond.
If you’ve been to the market lately, particularly the Broadway location, you can see for yourself in the thousands of people that gather each week. Further proof of success comes from accolades from near and far. The Tacoma Farmers Market was recently recognized as one of the “100 Best Farmers Markets in America” by MSN.com, coming in at number 25 on their list. The Broadway location also earned the 2015 “Public Places Award” as part of the New Tacoma Awards sponsored by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce.
It took courage, foresight, and determination to launch the Tacoma Farmers Market – not to mention a steady stream of optimism and perseverance. On behalf of the market and all the farmers, vendors, and shoppers who have supported it over the years, thank you Marcia and Norma for your vision and energy. We wouldn’t be here without you!