Wednesday Farmers Market in Port Angeles discontinued after decline
What more is there to say, really? People have to eat, but still...decline. They've been pushing the whole "buy local" thing for years, but still...decline. In other cities, small and large, Farmer's Markets are going great guns two or three days a week, but in Port Angeles...decline.
First you dry up, then you blow away...
And this is the sort of thing you've so adroitly enabled, Cherie Kidd. This is the sort of downward spiral you've helped to craft, Nathan West. This is the kind of negative growth you've engendered, Pat Downie. This is the sort of laughable non-leadership you've provided cover for, Dan McKeen. Decline.
I feel sorry for the farmers, though. They work hard, very hard.
Still, on the bright side, this will free up one more day at one more empty space for Cherie Kidd to film her rah rah public access show touting how fabulous everything is in Port Angeles.
Port Angeles: Come for the open spaces, but stay for the decline.
Death by a thousand cuts, while our checked-out leaders tell us everything is fine.
ReplyDeleteYes, the continuing decline.
ReplyDeleteWhat people like Cherie Kidd don't understand is that it hurts, more than it helps, to invite people to come to a city with nothing ACTUALLY for anybody to see or do.
We have heard of the managers at the local motels that recount how visitors have booked 3 day stays, but after getting to Port Angeles and seeing nothing happening, they cancel the remaining two days of room reservation, and leave.
We have read the on-line reviews of the local hotels, motels and restaurants, where visitors complain of what they experience here in Port Angeles. Blood stained bedding, and used drug needles in the rooms.
As has been said many times before, we don't need to try to convince more people to come to Port Angeles. The Coho ferry drops off thousands of visitors in the middle of downtown, every day. The National Park draws literally millions of visitors to our doorstep, every year. This is nothing new. It has been going on for decades.
But still, Port Angeles declines.
The powers-that-be in this town have no real vision. As we see, the town is handed what so many other towns can only dream of, and year after year, the leadership here can't figure out how to make best use of it.
As a perfect example, Cherie Kidd and her supporters do exactly what is not needed, and ignores that what is.
"As has been said many times before, we don't need to try to convince more people to come to Port Angeles. The Coho ferry drops off thousands of visitors in the middle of downtown, every day. The National Park draws literally millions of visitors to our doorstep, every year. This is nothing new. It has been going on for decades.
DeleteBut still, Port Angeles declines."
Excellent summation.
the so-called "leaders" have a LOT more to do with the decline than you'd think. The city is anti-business. PERIOD.
DeleteAnon 7:45, are you talking about the council members, or the staff?
Deletethe council don't lead anything. The staff leads them, especially Bad News Bloor
DeleteSure seems like Tyler's photos documenting the ongoing emptiness of downtown might have been on to something.
ReplyDeleteLook at the Pike Place Market and scale the numbers down. Fact is, we don't have the population to make it work two days a week. They picked Weds. because the pier concerts were already drawing a few hundred people to the area -- but there's not really a synergy there. Can't expect the vendors to just do it for the cause, and the population would have to make a disproportionate effort. Concentrate on Sat. and everyone will do better.
ReplyDeletePort Townsend has a Weds market, and it's a smaller town, and doing fine. But, then again, they aren't in a dank hell-hole in a dreary downtown. There ARE other things to do.
DeleteYou know what is sad...PA has much better food that PT. It has better bars. It has more of everything, but, it still has a taint,
DeleteYeah, the new McDonalds really rocks! Port Angeles really knows where the great food is.
DeletePT and Sequim both also have McD's. Not talking about that,silly.
DeleteYes, but there are more people at the Mac Donalds in Port Angeles, than there is at ANY of the other eateries in town. If Port Angeles has such great restaurants, why are more people at McDs?
DeleteWhether PA or PT has better restaurants or bars is completely subjective. But the restaurants here suffer because there's nothing else to drive people downtown. If you were a tourist and drove through PA and saw the lack of people would you really have any inclination to stop? The gastropub is decent and when you drive by it's the only place I see people but I haven't been in some time because it is so crowded and noisy that is is difficult to get a seat, is difficult to hear a conversation, service is slow, and you feel pressured to hurry up and eat and get out fo there because other people are waiting for your seat and stand there staring at you. I'm happy they are successful but it would be a delight if they would move, or expand into one of the spaces next to them. Especially if they could keep a section adults only. It was a shame when the Oasis in Sequim changed their format. No live music anymore and now there are kids present. I don't want to pay good money, to sit at a bar and eat and have toddlers screeching in the room. But there's not enough incentive to drive to PA just to eat and drive back.
DeleteRumor has it one of the gastropub owners purchased the old Maurice's building with plans to open a restaurant.
Delete06.09.16 - you are late to the party that's soooo January
DeleteCountry Air is killin the FM, yo!
ReplyDeleteCountry Air, with their fluoridated "organic" produce is not killing the Farmers' Market. The only thing killing the FM is the same thing killing the entire city--dysfunctional leadership. It's chronic, in every direction there is piss-pour leadership. Trouble is, there is no penalty to be paid for poor leadership. The same old retreads get elected and continue with the graft and corruption. After former mayor Karen Rogers embarrassed the city with her insider dealing and double-dealing with a contractor whom she was writing city checks and receiving personal checks instead of leaving town in shame the powers that be PROMOTED HER to be president of the Olympic Medical Center Foundation. Now she can scam the foundation which is out of the reach of public records and she will not divulge how her committees work, who is on them, how much money is taken in nor how it is spent. Then, on a few occasions she has returned triumphantly to city hall and the city council bestows some award on her for some bullshit. If we have no shame we cannot move to the next level. If we will not raise ourselves from the pit of shame then we will all wallow in it.
DeleteThere is much momentum for real lasting change. We have an opportunity to elect a new county commissioner. This is a good first step. Looks like we will have an opportunity to seat an entirely new city council soon. We must vet some really fine candidates and support them against the status quo that wants things to stay the same. As Ben Franklin said when leaving Independence Hall after the adoption of the Constitution, "We give you a republic--if you can keep it."
NO. Country Airrreee is poorly laid out, has goofy items, and has too much attitude. I'm not a fan.
DeleteI would much rather shop at the farm stands, CSA's and grow my own.
And, as for the Farmers Market...I hate the dark industrial Cutler HOLE. I will continue to not shop there for as long as they are in that dark place. Used to be a fan, not since they moved to that dank, cold, uninviting excuse for a "public transportation hub". Farmers Market board should be wholesale ejected. They've only been in decline, for years and years.
Only with a little help from his "friends", at the EDC...
DeleteThe owners of Country Aire, the Mileticks, are part of the old guard of Port Angeles as well as good friends of Dan Gase. The Mileticks bought the property at 200 W. First from Gase and he is currently "selling" their old property at 117 E. First (which hasn't sold - so it must be a tax write off for them).
DeleteThe Country Aire owners employ Josh Rancourt as their GM. Josh is the son-in-law of Jim Haguewood, another of the old guard of PA, and good buddies with Paul Gottleib.
Basically, it's all about the status quo, maintaining it and, if possible, furthering it. "We don't want to get involved."
Please boycott Country Aire!
the problem with letting the "old guard" be in charge of anything is that these are uneducated, untraveled, small-minded people who think that by suppressing competition they'll do better.
DeleteThe problem is that without competition things only get worse. Service gets worse, product gets worse, attitudes get worse, prices get ridiculous, etc.
OH WAIT...Welcome to Port Angeles.
The Wednesday market started declining right around the time when Country Aire moved and expanded.
ReplyDeleteThe Saturday market has been improving steadily.
Did you know that the Farmers' Market has to pay about $5,000 per year to the City for the use of the Gateway?
Yeah, because they were too stupid to negotiate a better deal.
DeleteI seem to remember Max and Sissi trying to get the city to lower or forgive the fee, but it never got traction with the rest of the council. Which is typical.
Delete4:13, in fact they did negotiate a better deal recently, and that was it.
DeleteThe market board never even TRIED to get it cheaper. But, remember, wasn't Wharton on the council back then? And, ALSO ON the Farmer's Market board?
DeleteLeaders selling us short? Gosh!
And as of just a minute ago, there were absolutely zero comments on this story on the PDN's website, which neatly closes the apathy circle that is choking this town.
ReplyDeletePeople won't get involved until it is their fat in the fire. We need to leaflet the city with informational flyers showing how the city leadership is devouring our children's futures. We go to the parks and Civic Field when kids games are going on. These are the parents who will be thinking of their kids' future. We need to go to the Safeway parking lot on Sunday afternoon and leaflet the cars in the parking lot. Likewise all the boat pulling trucks on Marine Drive during a fishing event. There are ways to inform the people with a well written flyer and good distribution. Better yet, deliver a fluoride info piece to every Country Aire customer's car windshield. About one week and Josh would be at city council begging them to get rid of this damn fluoride. Do the same when you see cars lining up at Michael's Restaurant, Kokopeli Grill, etc etc. When the high dollar restauranteurs feel the burn they will apply the heat to the fluoride four.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. Most people are not involved, and don't know the particulars.
DeleteI had a conversation with a new resident about a month ago, a new mother. You should have seen the reaction when I informed her the water was fluoridated. She was so upset, saying she hadn't been told, and that the doctors had told her not to use fluoridated water to make the baby's formula.
Flyers are one of the best ways to get around the way the PDN controls what the public knows. This is one of the best ideas I've seen posted here.
It is the "tourist season". Even better. Let's get this going.
Actually most humans aren't concerned with fluoride in the water. But if it gives your life meaning and purpose please print some flyers and put them on windshields.
DeleteKindly,
Right. Sure.
DeleteYou just keep saying that. We all can see the truth in the empty streets in Port Angeles. The storefronts that sit empty year after year.
Yeah, you just keep sayin' that.
Troll @ 1:28 - you must live under a rock somewhere. Don't even bother...
Deleteonly stupid people aren't concerned about what crap is put into our water for questionable reasons, and against the will of the majority (who took the time to weigh in).
DeleteBut, stupid people don't get the nuances of democracy or of corrupt government.
That makes absolutely NO SENSE. If the market declined on Wednesday, when Country Aire moved and expanded, then why didn't the Saturday market see the same decline?
ReplyDeleteSounds like b.s. to me.
I can understand a market doing better on a Saturday when most people are off work and can head down there. I think a farmers market attracts a similar, but just different enough group of shoppers.I don't shop at Country Aire or Sunny Farms for that matter, preferring to go to Nash's Farm Store. Can you imagine if the vendors at the PA Farmer's market started hanging signs over their booths advertising which produce had been watered with non-flouridated water? That might impact County Aire!
DeleteMost of the vendors selling food, whether it's prepared or just produce, are using water at the market. Where do you think they get it from? The fluoridated taps at the Gateway.
DeleteDoes Paul Gottlieb drive a white car? Or just report on them? Or both?
ReplyDeleteCherie Kidd drives a white car, and Bean Road is out that way....mmmmm?
DeleteMore mayhem in Port Angeles - at First and Lincoln a white car and a black truck were involved in an accident which took out the street lamp at the south corner and shut down Lincoln from the intersection to Third Street. Cops, paramedics and a fire crew all over the place.
DeleteI don't know if Cherie Kidd was behind the wheel of the white car, but at least there wasn't any gunfire.
Why would the driver of the hit and run vehicle (a Geo Metro) be found, but not cited or taken into custody? That sounds mighty suspicious.
DeleteThe scales of justice are pretty darn goofy around here.
If you're cooperative, it is all okay.
DeleteOk so here's a stupid Idea. Do the farmer's Market at the Haggen's Building. Do clean meat in the Meat Market. Native fish market. Do clean Farmers Market produce in that area. Replace the pharmacy with a weed dipensary. 3 or 4 local bakers. Sandwich and espresso people. All in an UnShitty, UnCold, UnDowntown (Ample Parking, Day or Night !), Last stop B4 the Park Location. There's room for non food stuff like laundry soap and all that crap too. Non Profit owned building, all the little individual capitalists paying rent. Run by Locals for Locals, but with an eye towards separating tourists from their vacation dollars as they head (and they always do) Out of Town.
ReplyDeleteOr we could build a fake beach.
Great idea! Really.
DeleteWe need to follow through with this.
This is the best idea registered on this blog.
DeleteIt's a fine idea, but who's going to pay for it? A building like that must be worth a million or more. The market barely breaks even every year and that's with a lot of fundraising too.
Deleteexcept the Haggen's folks (who used to be a small chain, now owned by the many headed hydra Cerebus Capital Management) sold the property to one of their many heads, and will keep the property rent so high that NO ONE will want it. Welcome to how crappy business sucks the life out of the market.
DeleteThe reason they had to sell off the property in the first place is that Cerebus owns both Safeway AND Albertson's. The FTC (fair trade commission) has a rule against the same company, with multiple names, dominating the market. (The Albertson's and both Safeways would be "competing" against each other, but not really because it would be going into the same pocket.)
So then Cerebus comes up with this plan to make a local owned chain buy a few markets, and then they foist too much on them, then other issues arise, and then...oops local chain goes bankrupt, so Cerebus BUYS THEM. (One must think that it was all planned this way, because the whole deal is just too fishy. Haggen's did get a big court settlement...but still, a fraction of what their NAME was worth.)
So, sure, a local market would be great. There ARE people working to put together a co-op for the area.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAll reasons why WTFs idea is something we should really seriously support. A "LocalMart.
DeleteThe City charging the farmers market anything at all says exactly what is wrong with our greedy,manipulative,self-serving local government. The City council is fully aware that the downtown is suffering. Their position seems to be that the vision of a few farmers market booths for the ferry traffic , tourist will be charming and draw attention to their over priced parking garage/bus barn. I personally preferred the corner when Lorens Tavern decorated it. It was charming until Ann bought it and her husband accidentally cut the main support post inside the building and it was condemned. But back to the city council. If the city council had their priorities in order and knew what they were doing like any reasonable person they would think... if we don't charge the farmers market anything at all it will encourage more venders, more farmers. A bigger market will encourage lower prices and attract not only tourist who happen by but local people looking for bargains. This will increase the down town traffic and spread the wealth (what little of it there is). That would have been the reasonable thing to do for a city counsel that cares about the financial struggle of the people who elected them. The City council thinks their job is the make money for the people who sign the paychecks of everyone they know and take into consideration . That would be local government employees. They are only interested in sustaining and profit for local government . That is their business and to hell with everyone else.
ReplyDeleteback when the city approved the market moving from the courthouse to the Gateway, the council was not all that excited about it. They were their typical "stick up their arse" jerks about it, and they insisted that the market PAY. Welcome to the anti-business climate of the city.
ReplyDeleteLook dammit, Edna Petersen didn't want a farmer's market downtown so it got pushed aside. Farmers are too smart to shop at her place so she has no use for the. Plus, you can look at her an tell the only vegetables she eats is prunes.
ReplyDeleteIf the building ownership and Mgmt. were set up along the lines of a non-profit, they could concern themselves only with paying taxes, utilities, and doing maintenance. You figure out what that costs per sq foot, and there's your figure for rent. Since acquisition of the building would be the first hurdle, some kind of Foundation, Grants, etc. would be required. Most places would still need to be subsidised, (at least initially) and some sort of provision would need to be made there as well.
ReplyDeleteI know I sound like Pie In the Sky Lincoln Theatre Guy. This is just a smaller than thumbnail idea of how it might work. I'm not Joe Finance, and I have no experience with Retail Grocery, (Still, there's a Whole Lot of outta work Grocery people in PA at the moment) but I'm thinking all this would cost far less than the money we've already pissed away on Bus Stops, Beaches, Haborworks, Incubators, and crooked deals for all our pals.
One thing is for certain, and for sure - Except for their pound of flesh in tax money, the City needs to stay the fuck out of this. The EDC needs to mind their own dubious business, and let the people do their work for them. The (death) Chamber of Commerce, and all the other alphabet "Associations" can step off as well.
This idea is a brand new wagon. It would be stupid to hitch it to a dead horse.
Again, I agree with you. This is a very feasible concept, and nothing like the Pie-in-the-Sky scam of "Light up the Lincoln". Unlike what the Lincoln proposed (yet another venue for local arts in a small town with many, already), this has many desirable attributes.
DeleteFor example, as I write, the TV speaks of the region wide earthquake drill in preparation for "The Big One", already overdue by most experts accountings. We all know we have enough food and supplies on store shelves to last a couple days, if we are cut off from re-supply by collapsed bridges, etc. " Food security" is an increasing concern.
This was written about in the Port o Call a few months back. I'll look for a link, and post it.
And, you are right on target, WTF. For all the money spent supporting the cronies in their useless proposals, this one can support a LOT of locals.
You're onto a great idea. Pursue it.
WTF, the Albertson's building is going to be $2-3.00 a square foot, a year in advance, because they DO NOT WANT a market in there. They'd rather have no competition at all, and an empty building (they can write off their corporate taxes) than a building that would help the community.
DeleteAnon 8:30 Everything is a matter of perspective. If this concept is presented as just "another market", you're likely right. But if this is constructed in terms of community benefit, as a venue where everything locals produce can be sold to other locals, it is a whole other project. Formed as a non-profit, instead of "just another" corporate owned market that tries to sell the same items, produced by the same multi-national corporations, as all the other markets.
DeleteThis is a completely different animal. It is like saying the corporate hospitals will not support local street/homeless outreach efforts, because they don't want anybody else to be in the business of providing care.
You're right about the attractiveness of Albertsons being able to use the now empty building for a write off against their corporate tax liabilities; they could do just that using a community benefit non-profit they donate the use of the building to.
what part of large corporate asshole ownership, pricing the building out of grasp of ANY OTHER MARKET (because, they can write off, on their federal taxes the loss incurred by doing so) so that they can limit competition, don't you get?
DeleteThis particular corporate hydra doesn't give a damn about anything but money. Not people. Not the community. Nothing but MONEY. The evil corporate entity (and this is very much that) is all about the money game, not the "do the right thing" or create beauty in the world. The founders driving it are assholes, and their entire corporation is based on "more for ME ME ME ME ME".
Pure and simple. Get the "what if's" out of your head. Stop shopping at Safeway, avoid all their corporate heads, and speak with your wallet, because they sure as hell won't listen to any words out of your mouth.
That building is going to stay vacant for years. This corporation is known for that.
Reality - the farmers market does not compete with major grocers. The farmers market is a quaint throwback to a bygone era. If it were popular and successful they wouldn't be closing up on Wednesdays. Safeway x 2, Walmart, Country Aire and mini-marts have the city covered.
DeleteCorrection: Farmers Markets elsewhere are wildly successful. I've been to many in other towns across America.
DeleteHERE, like with so many other things, we see that Port Angeles won't support things it should.
If people don't support "local", then they get what they get: their money leaving the area for offshore corporate bank accounts. Poor Angeles.
The city has power of Eminent Domain. They can make it happen if they grow some cahonies...
ReplyDeleteit's CAJONES. Spanish the J sounds like an H.
ReplyDeleteCorporations are simply amoral organizations dedicated to profit.They are neither good nor evil. It's simply (A+B = $$$) with them. Its fairly safe to assume that had Albertsons or Haggens in that location been Profitable, other arrangements would have been made. The old Albertsons location became Goodwill. The old Mark It Foods location became a hot rod shop. Tradewell is Sears now. Commercial Real Estate in Port Angeles is another investment dead-end, and the right offer on the right terms could help this particular corporation rid itself of a White Elephant, while simultaneously providing tax relief and a cute story for their marketing department. And, considering the WTF Market caters primarily to clean food weirdos and hungry hungry hippies, they could do so while preserving the Lack of Competition they so dearly love.
ReplyDeleteWhether I talk to Junkies or City Council Members, Liberals or Conservatives, I am struck by the similarities of their issues. But I am particularly struck by the similarity of their mindset... The one thing that binds this town together, the single unifying factor, is a thing I call Pathological Hopelessness. The Eeyore Syndrome. We're the town that's happy to take NO for an answer.We're the town that addresses two-bit small town corruption and chicanery with "Yeah, well, what cha gonna do?"
The only song we can sing in unison is, "It Will Never Work."
And That, gentle reader, is why Port Angeles Sucks.... Cherie Kidd, Fluoride, and Needles in the Park are all just symptoms of our own self defeated mindset.
Yes, you are right, again.
DeleteBut, this is not true of everyone. There are some of us that pay no heed to the "It Will Never Work" song, and we keep working at it.
The latest example is PAPA. We didn't do the usual song-and-dance we are so used to seeing in this town with all the scam projects. We didn't get millions from the usual sources. We had a unifying vision, met every two weeks for the last year. We donated our time and physical labor.
6 months ago we first walked through the abandoned building that is now our studio. Again, we didn't get millions from the Port, City and County, to start our non profit operation. We just rolled up our sleeves, and scraped, painted and did what was needed.
I know of other efforts like this, where dedicated people are just working on their visions, and moving forward. No scams. No hoopla. None of the "usual suspects".
But, having said all that, I still agree with you. The lack of conviction and dedication to a cause is rampant in this town. Too bad. Things could be very different, sooner, if more would just ignore the past, and work for the future they want to see.
Tyler