Durango Farmers Market’s “2nd Saturdays on Main” will return to Main Avenue next month and continue every second Saturday of the month through October.
The farmers market is kicking off the season with its first “2nd Saturday” on opening day May 9, said Anna Knowles, executive director of the market.
Knowles said the Durango Farmers Market will be held in its regular Saturday space in TBK Bank’s parking lot at 159 W. Ninth St. when not on Main Avenue.
“2nd Saturdays” market space will include the 900, 1000 and 1100 blocks of Main Avenue and west 10th and 11th streets, she said.
“2nd Saturdays on Main” debuted with a pilot program consisting of three events from August through October last year. Knowles said the first event had between 2,500 and 3,500 attendees, but poor, rainy weather hampered turnout and the following two events.
She said she hopes for a turnout May 9 comparable to the first “2nd Saturdays” market last year.
The Durango Farmers Market, in partnership with the city of Durango and the Business Improvement District, tried holding the farmers market on Main Avenue last year because the additional space allowed more vendors to set up shop, more walking room for visitors and to promote a stronger sense of community, Knowles said at the time.
Durango Farmers Market vendors accept EBT and SNAP
Anna Knowles, Durango Farmers Market executive director, said the farmers market is the only one in the region that participates in the Colorado Department of Human Services’ Colorado SNAP Produce Bonus program.
In addition to Double Up Bucks, which provide dollar-for-dollar matches on SNAP purchases up to $20, more agricultural vendors are beginning to take Electronic Benefits Transfer purchases right at their booths, Knowles said.
“This program provides 60 free dollars a month to anyone who comes and uses the program, and you don’t have to sign up – you’re automatically enrolled. If you have EBT, you are good to use this program,” she said.
Knowles said vendor fees cover only 27% of the Durango Farmers Market’s budget. The farmers market is a nonprofit and funds operations through grants, vendor fees and donations.
She said the farmers market is introducing a new sustainable members program this year with multiple membership levels that each come with benefits. The new program will launch at the market’s “Let Them Cook” fundraiser and cooking competition at the “2nd Saturday” event May 9.
The new market arena proved to be a hit with vendors, residents and downtown businesses, which largely benefited from the increased foot traffic, she said Tuesday.
Knowles and Tim Walsworth, BID executive director, said doubling the number of “2nd Saturday” markets and extending them through the heart of Durango’s tourism season will provide them with insight into what visitors from all over think about the program – and benefit vendors and businesses at the market.
Walsworth said closing off a portion of Main Avenue is harder to orchestrate than it might sound, and there are four major factors to think about: emergency access, vendor success, brick and mortar businesses, and public accessibility.
“We did do surveys after the markets last year and found that overall, they were received very positively by the business community,” he said.
The BID surveyed Main Avenue businesses about foot traffic to their stores and sales after “2nd Saturdays” ended last year. He said businesses will have permission to conduct sales on the sidewalk outside their storefronts – typically prohibited by the city – allowing them to capitalize on the increased foot traffic.
“Every business in downtown will have that ability to maybe open a little bit earlier, put some goods out on the sidewalk for some eye candy and draw people who are visiting the market,” he said.
He called the “2nd Saturdays” setup for this year a “win-win-win” for vendors, residents and downtown businesses.
Walsworth said the biggest concern he’s heard from downtown businesses is the lack of parking when the street is closed for the market.
He said the market blocks access to about 100 parking spaces – conveniently, the same number available at TBK Bank. TBK Bank, the Durango Transit Center and city parking lots will all be open for free parking during “2nd Saturdays,” he said.
Knowles said the Main Avenue market layout has been slightly modified for the upcoming season.
She said information booths will be delegated to the sides of the street, with space between the curb and the booth to ensure storefronts remain accessible.
Vendors on the 900 and 1100 blocks of Main Avenue will be organized on both sides of the street and down the middle, creating natural paths for more organized foot traffic.
The 1000 block – the “harvest and herd” block where meat and produce vendors will be located – will feature the same middle-of-the-road layout as it had last year, Knowles said.
Additionally, bike racks will be available on the 1100 block, she said. The farmers market is working with the city to communicate where to find free parking and to incorporate Durango Transit bus stops at either end of the market.
Durango Farmers Market’s regular Saturday market at TBK Bank will be reserved for the market’s agricultural vendors and ready-to-eat food vendors, she said.
“We will have some artisans and some info booths and sponsors sprinkled throughout, but not nearly at the same capacity as what we do on Main (Avenue),” she said. “Main is more ... where we do have the ability to bring in our partners as well as more vendors from our artisan community.”
The Durango Farmers Market is also debuting a new fundraiser called “Let Them Cook” on opening day May 9.
She said the fundraiser is a “chopped-style culinary competition” to feature six chefs paired with students. Teams will have 20 minutes to shop the market for ingredients and 40 minutes to prepare their dishes. Judges will decide the winner of each of three rounds and who will claim the championship title.
Proceeds will help fund the “2nd Saturdays on Main” program, Knowles said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
