Amanda Milholland: Jefferson County Farmers Markets Serving The Communities of Chimacum and Port Townsend.

Amanda Milholland is our guest on this episode.

Amanda is the Market Manager/Director of the Jefferson County Farmers Markets.  Jefferson County has two farmers markets one in Port Townsend and one in Chimacum.

The Port Townsend farmer market is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Amanda shares with us that some of the vendors have been at the market for 30 years. Talk about longevity. We find out some of the ways the Port Townsend Farmers Market has grown over the course of the past 30 years.  Currently the hours of operation for the Port Townsend market are  Saturdays APRIL 2-DECEMBER 17, 9AM TO 2PM. The market is located at 650 Tyler Street, from Tyler and Lawrence Streets to Tyler and Clay Streets.

The Chimacum Farmers Market was first started in 2008. Currently the market is in operation   Sundays, June-October from 10 am to 2 pm. The market is located within walking distance of the actual farms of some of the vendors. You will be so close to the source of your food you can walk to the farm from the market!  The market is located at 9122 Rhody Drive, Chimacum WA. This is the only four way stop in Chimacum so it is super easy to find.

During our conversation we chat about the distinct personalities of the two markets and how they both serve their communities.  Amanda explains how the markets provide services to help their neighbors in need by accepting EBT, WIC and providing matching funds to help make the funds go farther.

We learn about the BIPOC Start-Up Business Fund. The fund is intended to help reduce some of the barriers that may  impact the inclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in their markets. Through the fund, JCFM provides small grants to new BIPOC-owned farmers market businesses to support them during their first market season in acquiring some of the materials and permits needed for market participation.

We hope you enjoy this conversation about Farmers Markets and how they contribute to the fabric of the local community.  Amanda was a wonderful guest and we learned a lot from her. You will find other farmers market episode coming soon.  If you have a recommendation of a farmers market we should interview please let us know.

Amanda Milholland Jefferson County Farmers market Episode Transcript

Amanda Milholland [00:00:00]:

We’ve got a great coffee cart that participates in the market. Usually, there’s some Now

Scott Cowan [00:00:04]:

you’re talking my language. Oh, good.

Todd Phillips [00:00:24]:

Welcome to the Exploring Washington State podcast. Here’s your host, Scott Cowan.

Scott Cowan [00:00:31]:

Alright. Welcome to this episode of the Exploring Washington State podcast. Today, my guest is Amanda Mulholland. Amanda, I’m going to say you’re the market director for the, Jefferson County Farmers Markets. That’s the farmers markets in Port Townsend and Chimacum. I always forget Chimacum. So you’re gonna have to help me break that bad habit today. Thank you for taking the time to, to be here.

Amanda Milholland [00:00:54]:

Happy to be here with you today, Scott. Thank you for the invitation.

Scott Cowan [00:00:58]:

Oh, well, you’re you’re kind. So why don’t you let’s start with this. Why don’t we know a little why don’t you share a little bit about yourself and how you ended up, working for the Farmers’ Market?

Amanda Milholland [00:01:12]:

Well, I think it starts back with just, my youth. I grew up in Port Townsend, Washington, so Jefferson County. And, my parents have always been really interested in food and have had a strong focus on local food. And, I didn’t personally care so much one way or the other what I was eating growing up. I would have liked to eat more sugar, but you can’t get away with that in my household. And I know those kind

Scott Cowan [00:01:42]:

of parents.

Amanda Milholland [00:01:43]:

But then I went off to college. And at some point in that period of time, I started my own garden for the first time. And, that was the beginning of this process of falling in love with, food in a new way, and really developing a connection to wanting to eat, food that I knew about. I knew where it came from. I knew what kind of care went into it. And that continued when I, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda, East Africa. And there, the economy is 80 to 85% or more based on agriculture. And so most of the food that I was getting was grown directly by the people who were selling it.

Amanda Milholland [00:02:31]:

And I was eating, mostly produce, rich diet. And, it became my norm. And then coming back to The United States, I had this real kind of come to myself moment of recognizing that I had changed when it came to food, and that I really wanted to have a connection with my food in a stronger way than I ever had before. And, I moved to Portland where, I lived for six years before moving back to Jefferson County. And at that time, I, continued my work trajectory, which had been in the nonprofit sphere. But I also started gardening and raising chickens in a big way. And, so I went from it being just a small part part of what I did and kind of a hobby to being, a significant portion of my food production. And, I had a kind of growing realization that what I was looking for in terms of work was a way to connect my nonprofit experience, because I’ve mostly worked with nonprofits throughout my career, with something having to do with local food and, with connecting people to local food.

Amanda Milholland [00:03:49]:

And I moved back, with my husband to, my hometown of Port Townsend, in 02/2015. And at that point, I was, pregnant with my first kid and not thinking about going right back to work. And, I kept hearing about the farmers market director position. And one night, I woke up in the middle of the night and realized I’d been dreaming about the job. And I was like, oh, man. It’s really weaseled its way into my subconscious, and I guess that means something. And so I applied, and, this is gonna be my sixth, season directing the Jefferson County Farmers Markets. And, I really love it.

Amanda Milholland [00:04:32]:

It’s there’s you know, it comes with it’s all kinds of different challenges and amazing opportunities and a great, kind of canvas to get to know local food and producers in the community. And I really love what it brings to my community to be part of a farmer’s market and to really be able to support the growth of local small businesses and farms, as well as community value of local food.

Scott Cowan [00:04:59]:

So I’ve got a couple of questions for where’d you go to college?

Amanda Milholland [00:05:02]:

I went to Evergreen. Olympia. You went

Scott Cowan [00:05:04]:

to Evergreen?

Amanda Milholland [00:05:04]:

Yeah. Evergreen State College, Olympia. Yeah. Alright.

Scott Cowan [00:05:08]:

And then you Peace Corps in Africa, so that’s a massive culture

Amanda Milholland [00:05:13]:

Yes. Yeah. Shift. Yeah. For sure.

Scott Cowan [00:05:16]:

Then you you you then you end up in Portland. So the other question I have is, so when you when you move back, you said you were raising chickens. And is it the Agony Road that’s out there?

Amanda Milholland [00:05:28]:

There is Agony in in Jefferson County. Yes. And it

Scott Cowan [00:05:31]:

Yeah. So you weren’t by chance on that road where you I’m sorry.

Amanda Milholland [00:05:34]:

This is kind of that’s where my

Scott Cowan [00:05:35]:

brain is.

Amanda Milholland [00:05:35]:

That’s in Chimacum, Washington. So that that’s where the our Chimacum Market is not so far away from the Agonye Road. And it actually was the first place where my mother owned, property in Jefferson County. And she and some friends built a cabin out there, where she first lived, on her own property. So I do have a connection to Agonye Road, but I have never lived there.

Scott Cowan [00:06:01]:

You never lived there. Okay. I would’ve been just kinda fun. Yeah. So the job opportunity work worms its way into your psyche. You’re dreaming about the opportunity. You obviously are in the in the job now. So that’s that’s interesting.

Amanda Milholland [00:06:18]:

Yeah. It it was. I I

Scott Cowan [00:06:21]:

That’s really interesting. It it

Amanda Milholland [00:06:22]:

definitely was. It was a time in my life when I thought, I was going to take advantage of as much time as I could, with my kid while my husband was working full time. And I found that, in reality, I really love the opportunity to bring myself, to my community through my work. And the the opportunity to, jump into this position really fit with my values and and what I love to do. So I was surprised, but here I am. And apparently, it’s it’s, it’s a good fit for me. As you said, it it became part of this, undercurrent in my brain that I couldn’t get away from. Right.

Scott Cowan [00:07:08]:

Yeah. Do you consider so help me out here because I’m I I this is where relying on you as the local expert. The the Jefferson County Farmers Markets run the two markets. Yes. Are they completely independent of each other underneath this umbrella, or are they, how would you describe help me describe this because, like like, to be blunt or not blunt. That’s probably to be completely honest, I always forget about Chimacum

Amanda Milholland [00:07:38]:

Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:07:39]:

Sorry, Chimacum. If you’re listening, my bad.

Amanda Milholland [00:07:41]:

Yep. That’s a great question. They are very much like sister markets in my mind. We share a lot of the same resources, and the same management. The Jefferson County Farmers Markets, we’re a really small nonprofit organization. I’m the only full time staff of the organization. And, our other part time staff work often at both a little bit at both markets. And

Scott Cowan [00:08:10]:

Alright.

Amanda Milholland [00:08:10]:

I sometimes am also at both markets. And, they really the Chimacum Market, we, it was first started by the Chimacum Grange in 02/2008. And, at that time, it was developed as a way to bring more access access to fresh food, to Chimacum, the Chimacum community. And, in 02/2010, the Jefferson County Farmers Markets, which at that point were just operating the Port Townsend Farmers Market, took over the management of the Chimacum farmers market to support its growth and stabilization. And since then, the market has, has continued to be a food source for Chimacum, and it did grow from that first, period of time and when it was being, managed by Chimacum Grange. It is our smaller of the two farmers markets, significantly. And and sometimes people do overlook even here in Jefferson County that we do have the second market. And in the in the past, we’ve actually operated additional markets prior to COVID.

Amanda Milholland [00:09:16]:

But the Chimacum market has something really special going for it that is unique to that market, so I don’t think it should be forgotten. It’s, it’s it for several reasons. One is that it is unique in that it’s providing, food in a area that is fairly rural. So, there’s not there’s a lot of farms in Chimacum, but there’s not a lot of grocery stores in Chimacum. It is, located at Chimacum fCorner Farm Stand, which is a local grocery store carrying a lot of locally sourced food, and they’ve been a longtime partner of of the farmers market. So there is that access to local food now in Chimacum with Chimacum Corner Farmstand. But the Chimacum Market gives people a chance to connect with the growers in that community and buy directly from those growers at the market. And so it’s expanding food opportunities, for people in the area, and it also is, so close to a lot of the participating farms, which I think is really a special aspect of that market.

Amanda Milholland [00:10:22]:

One of the farms that participates every year is, Red Dog Farm, and they’re within walking distance from the market. And so when you think about local food and being able to access it at the farmers market, there’s really, no better example than the relationship between the Chimacum Farmers Market, Red Dog Farm, and that you can walk there, from the market. I just love I love that that market really is bringing people food that’s super local, and that’s special.

Scott Cowan [00:10:55]:

So all my questions always have to have an asterisk now because of

Amanda Milholland [00:11:00]:

COVID. Mhmm.

Scott Cowan [00:11:01]:

Because Yes. Because COVID has changed everybody’s answers. So let’s keep going with Chimacum. About how many vendors are taking part at at that market?

Amanda Milholland [00:11:14]:

Yeah. That’s a good question. We’ve had a range of vendors over the years. This last year, we actually had more vendors than we had, prior to COVID. So that was an interesting kind of shift in that market, and sales even went up at that market prior then versus prior to COVID sales. So last year, there were a total of 20 vendors, and as many as 18 participating at one time. So that’s Okay. It’s not a big market, but we’ve in some seasons, we’ve had as many as 10 vendors.

Amanda Milholland [00:11:48]:

So, it’s the the great thing about the market is while it is small, it does provide a good, diversity of products. So you can get your fresh produce. Often, you can find meat at that market, pasture raised meat. We’ve got a great coffee cart that participates in the market. Usually, there’s some Now

Scott Cowan [00:12:09]:

you’re talking my language. Oh, good. Good. I we found something in common there. I do love coffee. I’m a I’m a I’m a huge coffee maker. Yeah. It’s good.

Amanda Milholland [00:12:17]:

And then there’s always a bakery. We have Pande Amore, artisan bakery that participates in both of our farmers markets. And, usually some good craft vendors too. So while the market is small, it does have a good selection of products.

Scott Cowan [00:12:34]:

And then just from a visitor headcount, how how approximately how many people are attending the Chimacum market on on a any random site?

Amanda Milholland [00:12:44]:

We actually do customer counts at that market pretty regularly, so I can be very precise. Okay. We generally have between three hundred and three hundred and fifty people at that market. Alright. So it’s, you know, it’s not it’s not huge. But,

Scott Cowan [00:13:00]:

But that’s a that’s a good number of folks to come through. I mean, that’s that’s good. Yeah.

Amanda Milholland [00:13:03]:

Totally. And one of the things that’s really fun with that one in particular is its particular location is right at the the main intersection in Chimacum. And so Right. That means that we’re we’re attracting local shoppers, but we’re also attracting a lot of visitors from all over the county and from neighboring counties, even sometimes from Seattle or other states. And, so it’s it’s one of those things that sometimes people come to intentionally and sometimes people stumble upon. And, we last year found that approximately 25% of the people who were shopping at that market were actually coming from 50 miles or greater than Jefferson County outside of Jefferson County. So that was, sometimes I’m surprised by you know, it’s we can overlook this amazing little market, but it’s a gem, and it shouldn’t be overlooked because there’s so much so much there. And and people, even from outside of our small community, are getting to know that market.

Scott Cowan [00:14:05]:

How are you going about from a from a let’s just say from a business standpoint. How are you going about identifying that 25% of your folks are, traveling a good distance to attend?

Amanda Milholland [00:14:19]:

That’s a great question. We, we do participate in a, a small grant every year from the Jefferson County Lodging Tax, and, that grant allows us to specifically promote the Chimacum Farmers Market. And part of our grant reporting is we actually are responsible for doing, a survey of our shoppers on a monthly basis. And, so we do that in a couple of ways. One, we just do a head count, and we do that more than, once a month. It’s it’s a really good kinda indication for us of how the market’s doing. But at least once a month, we additionally do a dot survey where we’re collecting a random sample of, information from a random sample of people shopping at the market. And the questions include things like, how far did you travel to get to the market with some various ranges for people to choose from? And that so that’s where I’m getting that number from, our our thought surveys.

Scott Cowan [00:15:18]:

It’s it’s interesting, though. It’s it’s interesting when I when I talk to markets and when I talk to businesses in general where their where their clientele is coming from. It’s always interesting to hear people’s, methodology on that. Yeah. So the the Chimacum market compared to the Port Townsend market is a much shorter season.

Amanda Milholland [00:15:40]:

Yes. That one is June through October. So first Sunday in June to the last Sunday in October, 10AM to 2PM. And, the Port Townsend Farmers Market runs from the first Saturday in April to the third Saturday in December. So this year, it’s April 2 till, December 17. So it does have a longer season.

Scott Cowan [00:16:03]:

Yeah. With with Chimacum being well, you know, just well, help me. So you’re open ten to two, so four hours. How much prep time are you guys how much how hard is it to set the market up? It’s gotta be it’s a super easy vendor show up early. They’re punctual. The the herding of cats.

Amanda Milholland [00:16:24]:

That’s a good question. You know, with the Chimacum market, we generally have one staff person that goes to that market. So it is a market that can be set up, in a couple hours time and broken down in in a little bit less than that, by one person. So, generally, the person who’s working that market does an eight hour day. And, yeah, it’s it’s a fairly easy setup, you know, a couple tents and, sometimes bringing some tables from borrowing tables from Trimacom Corner Farm stand and bringing them over to our market area. But, yeah, it’s you know, it doesn’t take too much to set it up. The Saturday market does take, quite a bit more. This year Right.

Amanda Milholland [00:17:10]:

We are really excited to bring live music back to both markets. That was something that we had to discontinue, during the first couple years of COVID. And so for those the port towns and market, that means setting up a pretty simple stage, just some stage platform boards and, a tent and weights and, either having a music coordinator that sets up sound equipment or having the musicians set up, their own sound equipment. And so that that adds, some time. We also set up benches and such for the the live music. But it’s it’s something that we really value being able to offer the community. We know that, that it brings a lot of folks who want to be able to, shop and enjoy the market as a place to be in community with each other. And, so that’s something that we we love to be able to help facilitate.

Scott Cowan [00:18:09]:

So I’m looking at some of the questions we had talked about. Sorry.

Amanda Milholland [00:18:11]:

No problem.

Scott Cowan [00:18:14]:

We’re a full fully transparent show. Whenever there’s a pause, we have

Amanda Milholland [00:18:17]:

to turn

Scott Cowan [00:18:17]:

back to the audience. Well, let’s let’s let’s transition now to the Port Townsend market. Because that’s the market that I’ve been to, several years ago. I mean, it’s it’s been a while since I’ve I’ve been to Port regretfully, it’s been a while since I’ve I love Port Townsend.

Amanda Milholland [00:18:33]:

You should come. This is gonna be the year for it. We’re celebrating our thirtieth anniversary this season.

Scott Cowan [00:18:39]:

So that’s interesting because that’s a fairly significant, you know, milestone. I mean, it you know, it’s more more significant than ’29 and less significant than ’35. So

Amanda Milholland [00:18:51]:

I mean,

Scott Cowan [00:18:51]:

go on. Thirty years of farmers markets in Port Townsend. What can you tell us about the the origin? How did how did that start? You know? And do you I know that predates you, but what’s kind of the how did the Port Townsend farmers market come

Amanda Milholland [00:19:05]:

to be? It it I love I love the story of this market, and I feel like there’s probably a lot of markets that share some similarities and just kind of origin stories. But this one, it feels like even though in you’re right that I wasn’t working with the market thirty years ago. I just I just turned 40, so I would have been 10. And that would have been really not Yeah. Not working.

Scott Cowan [00:19:28]:

Child labor laws being what they are.

Amanda Milholland [00:19:29]:

Yeah. But, that said, I’ve I’m familiar with some of those beginning vendor businesses, and some of them are still vendors at our market. And, they were the original market staff as well. So how it was initially set up was, a collective of farm and other vendors who decided to do a market together and, then also took responsibility on a rotating basis for taking the lead, when it came to setting up any kind of communal spaces, coordinating vendors, and collecting any fender fees. All those kind of things were initially done exclusively by this the vendors that were participating in the market. And it was initially in a downtown parking lot with something like 12 vendors. And, it had different locations between now and then. In February, I think it was 02/2013.

Amanda Milholland [00:20:31]:

So you said 02/2013 or 02/2003. I’ll have to double check that one. It moved it was ’13. It moved to Uptown Port Townsend. And at that time, it really it grew. So it grew from being, you know, between 12 and maybe 25 vendors till, what it has been prior to COVID, which has been between seventy five and eighty vendors. So pretty significant growth. Market.

Amanda Milholland [00:20:58]:

Yeah. COVID has been an exception. We’ve, the last couple years, we had, 40 vendors during, the first year of the pandemic twenty twenty. And then this last year, it was, 56 vendors at the the max of the season. But I’m really excited to see a number of things. One, coming into this season, we have, 76 spenders that have been approved for the market. So I’m really excited to see that growth again. And, there’s just a really good diversity of vendors represented at the market.

Amanda Milholland [00:21:32]:

So that’s really exciting for the season. And then there’s also something really special that I noticed this last year just looking at our sales, which was, yes, our shopper number has been down during COVID, but there has also been this continued community support for local farms and small businesses. And I saw that yesterday with or not yesterday. This this last year when I was reviewing the the sales at the end of the year when I noticed that sales were up 1%, which is not huge, but they were up 1% while at the same time we had this huge reduction in shoppers due to COVID. And to me, that shows this strong community investment and interest in local small businesses and farms, and specifically in supporting them by shopping at the market. And I’m just really excited to see how that continues to show up as we move out of COVID and into this next thirty years. Brave new world. Brave new world.

Amanda Milholland [00:22:32]:

That’s true. Hopefully, post COVID sometime soon.

Scott Cowan [00:22:36]:

What’s what’s interesting is I’ve I’ve heard similar comments from other market managers that traffic numbers down, vendor count down, revenues, you know, modest improvement, holding holding steady, modest declines. They’re no. The revenue stayed fairly stable in relationship to the variable of traffic or vendor count. So that’s that is I love hearing that because that you’re right. I think that does mean the community’s valuing with their dollars, you know, and make, you know, the the local stuff. So the the so let’s talk about kind of the the traffic and demographics of the port or Port Townsend Market. If people are going from 50 miles to the Chimacum Market, what’s what’s Port Townsend seeing? What what sort of where are you getting your visitors from?

Amanda Milholland [00:23:30]:

That’s a great question. We don’t do the same extensive, like, monthly surveys of our port towns and shoppers, but we talk to them on a regular basis. And, Sure. We do have a lot of local shoppers. They, they make up the base of the market. They’re the people who are supporting us and keeping stable sales even when, tourism has really dropped in Jefferson County. And, the at the same time, we do get a lot of visitors from the Seattle area, from Kitsap County. Those are some of the places that I hear most when I ask people where they’re visiting from.

Amanda Milholland [00:24:08]:

And sometimes we get visitors from other parts of the country and even nationally or internationally. And, definitely, Port Townsend has a bit of a reputation, a positive reputation for our farmers market. So, I’m never particularly surprised when I hear somebody say, oh, I’m here from, you know, some other country, and we love your farmers market. Or, I’m here from California or Idaho or Florida for that matter. So it’s always nice to have a chance to talk to people who are coming from other places and see their observations of the market and what they enjoy and why it becomes a stop that they choose to come to whenever they visit Port Townsend.

Scott Cowan [00:24:52]:

Yeah. So I have a question for you. So you just said you’re not you’re not surprised by people, you know, from out out of the region. I have this perception, and I’m maybe you can help me prove it more accurate, or maybe you’re gonna debunk it for me. But I kinda think that people that like farmers markets wanna check them out when they’re traveling.

Amanda Milholland [00:25:14]:

Oh, yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:25:15]:

Like, if if so if you’re traveling, and let’s say you and the family are going to Massachusetts, you might wanna check out and, you know, the only town in Massachusetts I can think of right now is Boston, so you’re going to Boston in my little example. So, you know, are you would you wanna check out the the Boston Farmers Market

Amanda Milholland [00:25:35]:

Oh, yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:25:36]:

On your journey?

Amanda Milholland [00:25:37]:

Yeah. I I look up farmers markets when I go anywhere. I haven’t gone much of anywhere in the last couple years, but I’d I look for them. And, I I think that farmers markets just give this really good example of the local culture and food. And for me, when I think about, like, food and culture are so, interconnected. And I think that farmers markets for that reason are they’re like a a road map to the community. They just give you a strong sense of who’s there, who’s producing food, what kind of food are people eating, and then also what what do people value and love in their local arts culture, and and, you know, anything else that the market brings. But it’s always fun to just get a chance to see other farmers markets and experience the food, experience the the regular shoppers, and the interactions between vendors and shoppers.

Amanda Milholland [00:26:34]:

And yeah. So I always look out for them. And you’re right. I think that

Scott Cowan [00:26:37]:

Okay.

Amanda Milholland [00:26:37]:

People who are farmers market people, they don’t stop becoming farmers market people when they go on vacation. They’re it just piques our curiosity. We wanna know what is your farmers market look like?

Scott Cowan [00:26:48]:

What do you got there? Right?

Amanda Milholland [00:26:50]:

Can I find some amazing hot sauce that I can’t get in Port Townsend? Or, you know, what else what else is gonna be there that’s that’s really amazing? It

Scott Cowan [00:26:59]:

For me, it’s like, who who’s who’s got coffee? That’s also a good question. Yeah.

Amanda Milholland [00:27:03]:

Yeah. And we’ve got a couple good coffee vendors in Port Townsend. So that’s just one more reason for you to come to the Farmer’s Market.

Scott Cowan [00:27:10]:

Oh, no. Yeah. We haven’t, you know, we we haven’t done a lot of traveling the last year and a half, two years or so. I mean, a little bit, but not not like we used to. Which is part of the reason the show is fun for me is that, you know, I get to sit in my office and have conversations with people remotely, and it’s, like, vicariously, like, being there. For the thirtieth anniversary, are you doing anything special?

Amanda Milholland [00:27:34]:

The first thing is while this would normally be a every season thing, we are bringing back live music after two years of not having scheduled live music, and that feels significant. I’m just so excited about being able to have that be a part of our markets again this year and, being able to we had some great buskers over the last year, but the challenge when you don’t have a budget or a structure for booking music is is there’s, you know, a lot of the same music every week. And that while it’s, like, great music at some point, it’s you miss the diversity, that comes when you’re able to invite lots of different performers to come to the market. And so I’m really excited about that. We’re gonna have live music for our opening day and throughout the season. We also, will be doing a red ribbon cutting with our Chamber of Commerce, which is fun. They bring a very large ribbon and excessively large pair of scissors for the cutting. Yeah.

Amanda Milholland [00:28:37]:

I’m always just so curious. Like, where do you get a pair of scissors that’s that size? Because it’s just I mean, my kids would go crazy with it.

Scott Cowan [00:28:44]:

Well, the same place you get those giant checks if they’re rolled up that they’re, you know Exactly. Yeah. It’s it’s the giant marker, whatever it’s called. Yeah. Okay.

Amanda Milholland [00:28:52]:

And then we’re still working on some other details. We’ll have our, public library doing a story time for kids and live music and the ribbon cutting and vendors. So many vendors, including vendors who are returning to the market, who haven’t been there for a few years, and new vendors. And I’m just really excited for that combination of new and returning vendors and, music and people and and story time and yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:29:22]:

Musically, what are you, what type of music do you like to bring into the market?

Amanda Milholland [00:29:27]:

That’s a great question. My ideal for market music is that it is different from from week to to week. We have a lot of really talented musicians here in Jefferson County, and, we love to host host them. And we try to not have the same musicians play, you know, too too frequently. There are some great ones that end up being staples for us. But this, for the opening day market, I know we’re gonna have I’m working on the other band, but the one that we do have, set up for sure is called Harmonica part Pocket. And they, they do really fun music. Keith, who’s their the musician for that band, he does a combination of silly, fun kids songs, and then also just he’s got a beautiful voice and plays a few different instruments, and so he sometimes also will sing adult songs.

Amanda Milholland [00:30:24]:

So it’s just fun to have the the combination of energy and silliness that comes into the market with his music. And I I really feel like he helped set the stage for a family friendly market. And, we often have a lot of kids and families come to our our first market of this season. So it feels like a particularly good one to have, Keith there to help us kick off the season.

Scott Cowan [00:30:47]:

To kick it off. I’m looking on your site. So because you said kid friendly. Is what about dog friendly?

Amanda Milholland [00:30:57]:

Good question. If you got a dog and you feel the need to take it to the market, you are welcome to go to the Chimacum Farmer’s Market. We we don’t do dogs at the Port Townsend Farmer’s Market, with the exception of service animals. And there, you know, there are some people who are disappointed about that. Most people who I talk to support having no dogs, but it comes with a history.

Scott Cowan [00:31:21]:

Mhmm.

Amanda Milholland [00:31:22]:

As I think most no dog policies come with a history. We’ve had the experience of vendors have had produce peed on by dogs at the market when they used to be allowed. See how that’s like it’s such an unfortunate thing. Like, oh, great. I can’t sell that because your dog just peed on it. We’ve had concerns with, tripping on leashes when the market does have its normal capacity of people or normal attendants. Pre pandemic, we frequently would have, 2,000 to 3,000 people at the market on a Saturday. If you think about those are big numbers that That’s

Scott Cowan [00:32:00]:

those are big numbers.

Amanda Milholland [00:32:01]:

We have not had those numbers during COVID. I don’t expect we’ll be there this next season. But, if you think about numbers like that, and then you think about dog leashes and dogs some dogs that are really friendly, some dogs that are not consistently friendly, it just becomes this factor that’s not it doesn’t feel, it doesn’t feel fair to to the general community. There’s also issues of, you know, we do support having people having service animals at the the market. But Mhmm. Having a bunch of dogs at the market actually can affect the the accessibility of the market for people who Sure. You know, are nervous about running into a leash or nervous about being near a dog. I a few years ago, I had I was, had one of my kids in my arms at the market and was talking with, someone asking them to leave because they had a small dog in their arms that was not a service animal.

Amanda Milholland [00:32:58]:

And the person was explaining to me why their dog should be at the market, who the dog then bit my child while in the arms of this this customer. And it was just a good reminder, that, you know, we do what we can to set the market up for success with having, some expectations of our shoppers. And one of them is that we just want you to bring a service animal and leave your pets at home even if it’s a super kind, animal. Sure. It’s a totally different thing when it gets in a crowded environment, and the reasons for not having dogs are numerous. And while your dog may be an exception to, you know, lots of those reasons, just do us the favor and keep your dog at home so that you can enjoy the market with, to its fullness. The

Scott Cowan [00:33:50]:

At so Port Port Townsend’s been thirty years.

Amanda Milholland [00:33:53]:

Thirty years.

Scott Cowan [00:33:54]:

To your knowledge, is there a vendor that’s so the longest running vendor?

Amanda Milholland [00:33:58]:

There we do have some vendors who’ve been at the market all thirty years. Yeah. I know. Right?

Scott Cowan [00:34:04]:

That’s that’s

Amanda Milholland [00:34:05]:

crazy. That’s that’s crazy. I love it. Okay.

Scott Cowan [00:34:07]:

Give me So give me an example. What what are they selling? What have they sold for thirty years?

Amanda Milholland [00:34:11]:

So, one of them is a vendor called mountain, Mountain Spear Herbal Company. Denise Joy is the vendor, and, she is a farmer and herbalist. And she has been selling, her line of tinctures, salves, body care products with a random assortment, occasionally of different kinds of, produce, or she grows pumpkins every year. And she’s been doing that for for, thirty years at the farmer’s market. And, I love some of the pictures she shared with me of the early days of the farmer’s market. It’s it’s nice because having grown up in this community, I I know the people in the the photos. And just to see, you know, these young people who are the parents of, you know, some of my peers and and friends. And to see them as as people my age or or maybe even younger who are participating in the early days of the farmer’s market.

Amanda Milholland [00:35:14]:

It’s just really sweet. I love that. Okay. Another vendor that I think has been with the market for all thirty years is called Gathering Place. They are a, nonprofit vendor in the market. They they have a unique relationship to the market as a nonprofit. Generally, we provide, free market space to community nonprofits for one to three markets per season, and they show up and Mhmm. Represent the nonprofit that they work with.

Amanda Milholland [00:35:43]:

And and maybe they’ll do some community outreach or fundraising or, things of that type. But Gathering Place is a, nonprofit that provides, educational and, recreational support for adults with developmental disabilities. And they part of what they do to support their work is, produce arts and crafts and, dog biscuits, of all things. For the dog that you did keep at home because

Scott Cowan [00:36:17]:

I was gonna say for

Amanda Milholland [00:36:18]:

the dog, you know, the dog. Dogs at home, but you can bring biscuits to the dog to make up for the fact that they’re at home.

Scott Cowan [00:36:23]:

But you you won’t know if the dog likes it until you bring it home. Sorry.

Amanda Milholland [00:36:27]:

So they yeah. Dog biscuits and arts and crafts that are made, by or in partnership with the adults that are served by the program. And so they’ve been doing that for thirty years as one of their, primary income generating methods for their nonprofit. And we just love that partnership. We love the opportunity to see them continue their work and to be able to support their work, with having them participate in the market. And I’m just so thankful that those two vendors have been there the whole darn time. We’ve had some other vendors that have been at the market for a long time, but as far as I know, those are the two that have been there the longest, like, from the very beginning. Yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:37:15]:

Humor me with this question. I’m asking you your opinion. K. Your opinion. I’m gonna say okay. What is the oddest thing that you have seen for sale at the market? In other words, you know, what it’s what is this something, you know, you walked by and you went, oh, we’re not a Yeah. Has there been any, you know, things that have caught your, you know?

Amanda Milholland [00:37:45]:

Well, I am part of the the group of people who juries and vendors. We’ve had some applicants, for the market where I’ve seen products and thought, what? Like, is it what is this? Generally, things that just totally baffle me and that I that are just a little a little too out there, they they often don’t end up at the market. Because we do we do try and hold ourselves to, a a fairly rigorous standard when it comes to the products that we’re bringing to our community. So if, there is a food, art, or farm vendor that is, interested in participating, they do we are looking at their products and making sure it is a good fit and that they are looking at being a you know, how to be sustainable as a business in terms of their sourcing and, how to support local through their sourcing. So that does all come into, like, when you actually show up at the market, the quality of the products is pretty darn high in my consideration. One of the I think the product that most surprised me and that I actually found, to be a super awesome product, this this is, you know, getting gonna get into a realm that maybe may make some people uncomfortable, but I’ll say was, reusable cloth, pads, menstrual pads. That was something where I was like I was thinking, wow, at a farmer’s market. And then it was just like, of course, at a farmer’s market.

Amanda Milholland [00:39:20]:

Here we are, trying to have have a an approach as a, as a business incubator, that is Mhmm. Really helping, small businesses bring sustainable, thoughtful products into our community. And that was one of those products where, it was just such an obvious and great way to reduce our use of plastics and throw away products. And I ultimately, you know, bought them for a bunch of friends and was like, this is great. I sent them to some of my friends in Uganda who were, like, super excited. Right. So, you know, some of those things that initially make me go, are actually Right. Like, some of the most amazing finds that you can get

Scott Cowan [00:40:10]:

at the market. And that’s half the fun of it, isn’t it? You know? It’s like,

Amanda Milholland [00:40:13]:

Yeah. For sure.

Scott Cowan [00:40:14]:

What is the process for event so somebody’s listening to this, and and they’re like, well, I wanna be a vendor at the at one of these markets or both. What what’s the process like?

Amanda Milholland [00:40:25]:

We try to make it pretty easy. We do an electronic application, and it’s available on our website. The application period is still open for the Chimacum Farmers Market until April 1. So if you’re considering the market, this is the time to get your application in. And, the application becomes available usually, mid December and then closes for the Port Townsend Farmers Market if you wanna apply for the full season, February 1. And then for the Chimacum Market, it’s April 1. And, then we do have a a vendor application period if space is available that, is for the port towns and farmers market that comes usually in July and closes sometime few weeks, month after that, and that’s for fall and winter vendors. But for the full season, the application period closed for the the Port Townsend Farmers Market, February 1.

Amanda Milholland [00:41:26]:

And so vendors apply, and they the the application asks lots of questions about the kind of business they’re operating, what types of products they’re offering, where they’re located, their farming methods or their sourcing methods, any kind of packaging they’re using and what types of packaging. And all those things come into our consideration when we’re we’re, inviting new vendors to join the market. Art vendors are asked to submit, pictures of their work. Sometimes we have, prepared food vendors, submit a product sample to the board, especially if they’re offering a product that feels like it might might have overlap with other products that we’re already offering, then we just wanna have a sense. Okay. Is this going to be truly two products of the same, exact nature at the market, or is this gonna be a new rendition on what’s offered that will be of value to, our community and, help support a a new business and and growing here in the county?

Scott Cowan [00:42:34]:

Do you allow, let’s just pick we’ll just stick with coffee because that’s, you know would you do you allow two coffee companies at the market at one time?

Amanda Milholland [00:42:46]:

Yeah. We, we a lot we it’s an interesting one. We allow you could have we could potentially have more than two. We do have two right now at the Port Townsend Farmers Market, but we, Okay. We look for having a diversity of products. And so we would be concerned if there were, a lot of vendors applying for the same thing. Generally, the things that we get a lot of applications for, a lot mini seasons that will be jewelry, where we’ll have, you know, you have 10 vendors who have applied to do jewelry. And we do we do prioritize bringing new ethically sourced products to our community, but at the same time, we do wanna make sure that we’re providing a marketplace that’s of value to our vendors.

Amanda Milholland [00:43:39]:

So, there’s that balance between, wanting to offer a diversity of goods and also not wanting to oversaturate the market with, one type of goods. And so we look to balance both of that in our review process and when we’re accepting new vendors.

Scott Cowan [00:43:56]:

Okay. I mean, you could you could have 20 or 30 coffee vendors and be just a

Amanda Milholland [00:44:01]:

Oh, you would like that. I’m gonna I I’m gonna plug in my computer while we’re talking.

Scott Cowan [00:44:06]:

Okay. I would love that. You know, that’d be awesome. But I I might be in the in the minority on that. I think, you and I

Amanda Milholland [00:44:12]:

might both love it. But, you know, after cup number two, I become, less productive and more eclectic person. So But

Scott Cowan [00:44:22]:

I don’t see a problem in that.

Amanda Milholland [00:44:24]:

You might if you’re hanging out with me.

Scott Cowan [00:44:30]:

Yeah. Let’s so let’s talk about

Amanda Milholland [00:44:35]:

Almost there. Yeah. Who

Scott Cowan [00:44:37]:

who does the market serve?

Amanda Milholland [00:44:39]:

That’s a great question. I love that question. We serve a lot of different populations. Of course, we’ve been talking about vendors, so I’ll start there. We to start with, we serve our vendors. And to to start with maybe isn’t the right way to say it because, these populations that we serve, it’s not like they’re on tiers. It’s they’re they’re all Mhmm. They’re all important.

Scott Cowan [00:45:03]:

Well, without vendors, you’re not serving the public, you know. So you’ve got two sides of this table. I mean, there’s there’s vendors and

Amanda Milholland [00:45:09]:

customers. So with our our, vendors, we are focused on farm, food, and art businesses. We do, provide some booth spaces, I mentioned, to nonprofit businesses as well as, service businesses if they’re a good fit for the community. So, for example, we’re gonna have massage therapists back at the market this year who will be doing, massage through clothing and with masks on, of course. So Okay. Yeah. The the variety of of, businesses is, can be wide, but within that kind of range. Some of the farm vendors that we’re working with are primarily doing mixed produce or pasture raised meat, and some of them are doing value added products, like, for example, jam or tomato sauce.

Amanda Milholland [00:46:01]:

So there’s like a when I say farm, it isn’t just one thing. There’s even an example that I mentioned earlier, Mountain Spear Herbal Company, where her primary products are farm products because, they’re while they’re tinctures or salves, they’re using, herbs that she a lot of which she’s growing or wildcrafting. So, there’s those businesses, and most of them are coming from Jefferson County. We have a we do, our vendors are consist of businesses from Jefferson County and within their surrounding counties, but with the priority on, serving vendors from Jefferson County. So we are unique in that among a lot of farmers markets. I’m I’m sure that there are other markets with a similar approach. But because we’re in this very rich agricultural community and arts community, we find that we get, enough applicants from within Jefferson County that we often don’t have room for many applicants from without it outside of the county. But we do include applicants from outside of the county that are bringing products that are otherwise either underrepresented or not represented at the market.

Amanda Milholland [00:47:17]:

So for example, we’ll have a wine vendor this year, Sebec Cellars that’s from Kitsap County. And, we don’t have much. We we have great cider represented and, a little bit of, wine and and mead at the market, but we don’t have the variety that we would love to see at the market. So including, and, Kitsap Vendor, just one of the neighboring counties, is a great way for us to increase the offerings that we bring to our community. So when it comes to vendors, primarily Jefferson County and some from our surrounding counties, when it comes to shoppers, we really strive to make the market a place that serves everyone. And that’s that’s, you know, that’s a bold and broad and, you know, not it’s we do have populations that predominantly make up our customer base. So we’re, you know, it’s something we realize that, we can continue to work on, and it’s one of our things that we we do, really strive to continue to work on. But we’re serving everyone from the wee babes that come in arms to, people who are, you know, in their their the older years of their lives.

Amanda Milholland [00:48:36]:

The 65 community. And, so we’re yeah. That that population is pretty broad. We, do have a growing food access, programs. And so this last year, we saw those programs are SNAP, program and SNAP match program, grow by 258%. So huge growth over 2019 sales. And, what that shows me is that, the number of people who are shopping at the market who are using, SNAP, the supplemental nutrition assistance program, WIC

Scott Cowan [00:49:15]:

k.

Amanda Milholland [00:49:15]:

The women, infants, and children, or, also senior farmers market nutrition program, has increased. And that’s pretty amazing, to see that growth. And also in this time when we are nationally and internationally experiencing instability in our economy, it’s really nice to be able to see that the market can show up as a place for people from, any income level to be able to access fresh food. And, so that’s Mhmm. That’s a place that we’ve really been, growing. And then we’re also looking, at how to increase the the intentional, welcome of people, black, indigenous, and people of color at our market. So both in terms of vendors and in terms of our community, it’s a place where we’re still growing and where we still have a lot to learn. But it’s something that we’ve been working on actively, this last year and that we continue to to work on.

Amanda Milholland [00:50:21]:

We’ve done that over this last year with the creation of a BIPOC startup business fund or black indigenous people of color, startup business fund. That’s a program through which we are able to provide a small grants to new BIPOC owned market businesses that support those businesses with being able to buy some of the essential tools that you need to be able to operate at the farmers market. So that could be your market tent. It could be your, food permits. Anything that the business prioritizes as being of high priority for them to be able to show up and participate in the market. And that is offered in recognition of the impact that systemic racism has had on people of color in our in our community and nation and just wanting to reduce some of the barriers that BIPOC folks experience when it comes to being able to, to access the market as a vendor. And then we hope that that will also ripple out to making the market a more welcoming place for, BIPOC shoppers. We do we do live in a a community that, is in large part, Caucasian.

Amanda Milholland [00:51:39]:

But that that just gives us, like, that much more of a okay. If we’re gonna be a market that is not just serving the majority, population, What do we do to really actively and intentionally create a welcoming space? So it’s it’s a work in progress, but, one that we’re committed to.

Scott Cowan [00:51:59]:

What else about the markets should we should we cover? I think I have I think, you know, I have a pretty good understanding of the well, let me ask you let me phrase the question this way. What do you what do you think is good on the horizon? What do you hope to see for the markets over the next, you know, two to five years?

Amanda Milholland [00:52:21]:

Great question. I think that a a really important piece that started to emerge, over this last couple years for farmers markets, and that we can see with some of the things we talked about before, like, the stability of sales even as customer counts and vendor numbers have decreased, or potential growth in sales as we saw in here in Jefferson County, is that there is a growing awareness, and I hope that we’ll continue down this path, that that there’s a deep importance to our local small businesses and to our local food system. And that’s something I really hope to see, continue to increase in our community, understanding and also nationally, in our national conversations around, you know, how do we stabilize economy? How do we, how do we make sure that people are earning a living wage? These things are all really deeply rooted with are the businesses, the small businesses in our community, set up for success? Do they have the ability to, to sell directly to shoppers and, earn earn a living that allows them to pay fair wages to employees? And then also this last couple years, we’ve experienced disruption in the food supply where, some of the really big farms and, some of the national and international food suppliers, weren’t able to operate in the ways that we’ve depended on them in the past. And, what I saw here in Jefferson County was that that that was part of this this growing understanding that, we need our local farms to to succeed. And it’s not just because we want local farms, but because if we wanna be able to count on getting food, our local farms need to be able to survive. And, so I really am hopeful that there’s growing understanding of that. I think that, you know, there’s this large tide to try and keep things to try and go back to normal. That’s, you know, there’s I do hear a lot of conversation around like, oh, I just I miss, you know, pre COVID.

Amanda Milholland [00:54:44]:

I, like, want what it used to be. I understand that. But I think there’s some really amazing learning that we have the opportunity to do over those last couple years of COVID, that connects back to localizing our purchasing and why it’s important, and that it’s, you know, it’s it ripples out. It’s something that I just I love when I go to the farmer’s market and I’m buying food from a local vendor. And then later on that day, I just, you know, happened to be at my local grocery store or downtown supporting a different business. And I find that same business or same vendor in there, small business owner, shopping, and just recognizing you just earned money at the farmers market, and now your money is going directly to this other local business. And when you succeed, this other business also succeeds. And when you succeed, I also know that I can count on you to show up next year and provide food to our community.

Amanda Milholland [00:55:49]:

So there’s this really important thing, that that we’re doing here in Jefferson County and that I think farmers markets are doing nationally and helping, hopefully, move the food picture and our understanding of economy, back to the local and just continue that understanding that we have to choose how we spend our dollars with the intention of helping everybody thrive.

Scott Cowan [00:56:19]:

Right. How many times does that dollar that you spent get recirculated in Jefferson County? You know, it’s a pretty interesting it’s a pretty interesting thought when you think about it. You you you go to the farmer’s market, you, you know, we’ll just say it’s a dollar for oversimplification, and you hand a dollar to the produce vendor. They take that dollar and they hand it to the the local coffee person because everybody wants to have coffee. And then and then and that person takes it, and they hand it to, you know and how many times that dollar get passed around within the community versus you going to your local chain store, buying buying the same produce. And some of those dollars stay in the community in the form of labor, but a lot of those dollars go to wherever that corporation’s from. And, it benefits the community too a little, you know, to a point, but it did I see it as markets do a different it it’s I think we need both in in a in a in a harmonious way that, but I like the idea that you in your story where, you know, you you bought produce and then you saw that person at the at the store later on in the day. And you also you recognize where your food’s coming from.

Scott Cowan [00:57:34]:

You recognize that person. I think I think that’s wonderful.

Amanda Milholland [00:57:38]:

There yeah.

Scott Cowan [00:57:39]:

Well, when you

Amanda Milholland [00:57:40]:

Oh, yeah. Sure.

Scott Cowan [00:57:41]:

Go ahead. Go ahead.

Amanda Milholland [00:57:42]:

I think, you know, there’s more to answer with that question of kind of what do I see for us. There’s a lot of other big questions we’re looking at right now as a farmer’s market. We are in strategic planning this winter, and, it’s such an important thing for nonprofits to do on occasion. Anyone. I mean, we should can we do, like, a strategic planning session for, like, each of us as individuals? Because I think that kind of stuff also needs to happen in some degree, with many of us. Like, just thinking, like, what is it we’re doing? What are my intentions? How am I growing? You know, how do I, grow with, in a way that’s responsive to the needs and interests of the people that I’m serving, vendors, shoppers? So we’re doing that right now. It will be a process that we continue, continue over the next year. And, you know, then it will be a plan for the next three to five years.

Amanda Milholland [00:58:41]:

So we’re looking at a lot of big things. We’re looking at things like, we looked at the big question of what kind of market do we wanna be, and really realized that we wanted to be a hub for our community in addition to serving our vendors. We’ve had a lot of interest among community members of the around the question of should we have a permanent physical space, or should we continue to be to operate pop up markets? We definitely, at this point, are not ready to build a permanent physical space, but it will be a continued question for for the market. There’s a lot of other big things like that where we’re just looking at what do we do to support the sustainability and growth of the market over time, and how do we continue being relevant to our community? And, then there’s other things like, for example, the the beginning of the work that we’ve been doing around equity, diversity, and and inclusion that that connects back to our food access programs. It connects to our BIPOC startup business fund. And it also we recognize there’s a lot more to do there. Like, for example, I think we’ll be starting the assessment over the next several years of is our farmers market physically accessible to people, and how can we improve that? And, are there populations that we’re overlooking when we’re thinking about, who we serve? And so those are some of the big questions that we’ll be looking at over time. And, if there’s any other farmers markets listening or farmers market shoppers listening, I just encourage people to to embrace those questions with us.

Amanda Milholland [01:00:21]:

They’re such an important thing for us to be thinking about as people. Like, how do we make sure that we’re not overlooking, part of our population, in our work? And how do we really, move towards a place where we can be inclusive of, all of the people who wanna participate in the market?

Scott Cowan [01:00:41]:

In what remaining free time you have in your life when you’re not managing farmers markets, what what do you do for food

Amanda Milholland [01:00:49]:

and entertainment? That’s a great question. I love it. I still garden, and, I do have two small children. So I haven’t been able to successfully maintain it as my primary food source, but I do love it. It’s, like medicine for for my soul, and there’s nothing like a fresh salad directly from the garden. They pick that same day, bring it inside, wash it, eat it. That’s just I love that. I also

Scott Cowan [01:01:16]:

You’re right.

Amanda Milholland [01:01:17]:

Love to ride my bike and run and hike. Yeah. And spend time with my kids and go to the beach and build a sand castle or whatever they wanna do. Yeah. And I have a extended family here in in Port Townsend and Jefferson County. And so, you know, with COVID, it’s been harder to to spend as much time with all the people who I love and and miss and care about. But we’ve prioritized continuing to be close and engaged with our family, and that’s a real joy for me.

Scott Cowan [01:01:52]:

Share with us an off the beaten path hidden gem. I don’t want you to give away your your your top secret place. I’m not asking for that. But if somebody were to search search the Internet and look on Tripadvisor or Yelp or something, they’re gonna be told to go, you know, go visit Downtown Port Townsend because of the great architecture. Go to Fort Warden. You know, they’re gonna the all those things are gonna they’re well documented. There’s gotta be something you can share with us that’s just a little off the beaten path in Jefferson County.

Amanda Milholland [01:02:27]:

Oh, man. There’s so many amazing things here. One of many reasons to be here in this place. I love the trail system that’s just, really close to my house. We have Cappy’s Trails, which is maintained by the Jefferson Land Trust. They own, the the trail system and maintain it. And, it’s weaves around different parts of, it’s it’s just like in my backyard, essentially. It’s amazing.

Amanda Milholland [01:02:55]:

And, as a runner, I just can’t be more thankful for that trail system. It’s one of the reasons that I’m so happy to donate to the land trust every year. I just love what they do and the their effort to really make, accessible local, trails in addition to the work that they do supporting local farms, with property easements that allow those farms to stay in farmland. So that that’s one thing. It’s CAPI’s Trails. You and the Land Trust puts out a really fantastic map of the trails. So that’s something they are one of our market sponsors, and I know that they’re planning to be at the market, a few times at least this season. So when you see them at the market, pick up their trail map because it really is, not to be missed and such a sweet system.

Amanda Milholland [01:03:46]:

You mentioned some of my other things that I love, like the beaches and such. A lot of times people check out Fort Wharton, but forget to to hit up North Beach, which is, it’s a it’s it’s not like a sandy beach. It’s got big big rocks and driftwood, and Yep. You can hike on it for, you know, miles and just enjoy, a lot of quiet beach time, and I love that beach. And, then you can, from there, easily connect to all the trails around Fort Wharton. So that’s they’re both both there and pretty close by each other.

Scott Cowan [01:04:23]:

K.

Amanda Milholland [01:04:24]:

And then, the farm stands.

Scott Cowan [01:04:26]:

So I’m

Amanda Milholland [01:04:26]:

Yeah. Check out the farm stands.

Scott Cowan [01:04:28]:

Okay.

Amanda Milholland [01:04:29]:

If if you don’t have a chance to get to the farmer’s market, you can still support local farms by going directly to the some of the farm stands. And there’s several in Chimacum, as well as other parts of the county.

Scott Cowan [01:04:42]:

So my next visit to Port Townsend, I’m gonna show up in the morning, and I’m gonna need coffee. Where do I where should I go?

Amanda Milholland [01:04:49]:

Saturday, you should come to the Farmer’s market.

Scott Cowan [01:04:53]:

Okay.

Amanda Milholland [01:04:53]:

Yep. Yep. Alright. Alright. Not gonna be there, you know, in time for the Farmer’s Market or you need to get your coffee before you can get to the market. We’ve got another couple great coffee shops. We’ve got several groups that do their own roasting and just make phenomenal coffee. Mhmm.

Amanda Milholland [01:05:10]:

There’s Better Living Through Coffee. They, also are one of our vendors, with, p the PT Coffee Company. And then, they then we have, we have the a couple different other coffee shops that don’t participate in the market but are really great. There’s, one that’s close to on either side of kind of our boat areas, there’s Velocity, and they are market regulars. So they they frequent I see them most Saturdays at the market, and they also do a main, cup of coffee, however you like it. And then there’s, the core Townsend Coffee Company, that’s by the Boat Haven, and they just, do really great coffee too. So you know what? You can’t go real wrong here in Jefferson County when it comes to coffee. You’ve got some really good stuff.

Scott Cowan [01:06:03]:

I remember seeing the sign for Better Living Through Coffee, and I just thought that was a brilliant coffee company. I just It is. I love that name. I just thought that was just fabulous. Well, as we wrap this up, what didn’t we cover? Did I overlook something? Did we did we miss a big topic? Because oftentimes, I can do that.

Amanda Milholland [01:06:23]:

I think you did a really great job. I don’t feel like we missed anything in particular. Yeah. I mean, I could dive into any number of, you know, praising how awesome our businesses are, but, vendor businesses. But I think that you have to show up at the farmer’s market to see it for yourself because there really is, so much to experience. And if coming to our market is not, isn’t gonna work for your plans, I would hope that I just had a big ding from my calendar. I hope that didn’t should come through. But, if

Scott Cowan [01:06:56]:

Oh, it does. But that’s alright.

Amanda Milholland [01:06:57]:

If coming to our market isn’t in your plans, in the next couple months, one once it opens in April, then hit up your local farmers market because there is going to be something amazing there that is that you’re gonna love, and then it’s gonna give right back to your community through your your shopping dollars. So, come visit us, Port Townsend or Chimacum. And if you can’t make it to our markets, then visit whichever your closest farmers market is and show them some love.

Scott Cowan [01:07:29]:

In the show notes, I’ll put a link to the the farmers market site so people can can take a take a look at it and make sure the hours are convenient and all of that. Amanda, thank you very much for taking the time to make this happen. I I enjoyed our conversation and learning more about the

Amanda Milholland [01:07:44]:

market. Thanks for your time, Scott. It was nice to talk with you, and, say hi when you’re at the market. I’ll give you a tour.

Scott Cowan [01:07:51]:

I will stop in. I’m pretty I’m pretty I mean, somebody that looks like this is pretty easy to oh, I think.

Amanda Milholland [01:07:56]:

Well, you do kinda look like my uncle too. So, it’s it’s either you or my uncle, but yeah.

Scott Cowan [01:08:04]:

So I see that yeah. You know, our our, you know, my friends go, oh, it’s Santa. But, you know, we we we don’t like that. Yeah. But, anyway, hi, kids. Well, thank you so much.

Amanda Milholland [01:08:14]:

Have a good rest of your day. Bye.

Scott Cowan [01:08:22]:

You

Todd Phillips [01:08:27]:

too. Join us next time for another episode of the Exploring Washington state podcast.