Eager farmers’ market shoppers have another market to attend in the West Plains. Open from April to September, the Airway Heights Summer Market is entering its second year and the goal is to connect the West Plains community to artisans and farmers working locally to produce unique goods.
Led by Linda McNeill of Paper Garden Spokane, a craft and vendor fair event coordinating business, the summer market sets up in the parking lot of The Hub facility along Highway Two on the second Saturday of each month. Dozens of vendors can be found at each market offering everything from customized drink tumblers and crochet plushies to farm fresh produce.
“Shoppers are always looking for something different and unique, they don’t want to see the same things at every event they go to,” McNeill said. “(We) limit the number of vendors per event…to try and give both the shoppers a diversified shopping experience, as well as giving the vendors an opportunity to make money in sales at the event, which is why they’re there.”
While still working to establish a foothold in Airway Heights, the budding market started as a conversation on an Airway Heights Facebook discussion group where members lamented about the lack of a community market in the city. McNeill said she was a part of the group and decided to chime in, posing the idea that she could potentially create one after doing some research.
“There were other comments of ‘somebody tried this in the past and it didn’t work,’ and so my comment was ‘let me check in to see what it would involve and I’ll consider maybe seeing about getting one started,” McNeill said while recalling the exchange with a laugh. “That blew up the comments, so I kind of became obligated at that point to try and make one work.”
Most of the prep work needed to get the market up and running involved permits and applications with the City of Airway Heights. Once that was taken care of, McNeill turned to her own experiences running Paper Garden and began recruiting vendors to fill the market throughout the season.
Heading into this year, McNeill said the goal is to continue improving the vendors and the types of items available for purchase. Something new to this season’s market is furniture made from recycled and repurposed wine barrels, which will be available for the first couple of market sessions, and Dachshund Rescue Northwest, a local foster and rescue agency hoping to place dogs in need into good homes.
“She’s going to be bringing a mini horse or donkey, or both as she said, depending on how the donkey is acting that day,” McNeill said when discussing options for kids attending the market. “It’s not a petting zoo, but she will allow the kids to touch, but she’s very careful with it. She will have some of the rescue dogs available for adoption as well.”
Even with a varied roster of unique vendors, McNeill said she’s still working on bringing additional attractions to the market for later this year or next season. Those ideas include more food options for patrons, a regular meat and animal product vendor, and even a kid’s corner with activities to keep little ones engaged while their parent’s shop with ease. Mc Neill said she hopes to find a group or organization that already works with children on a regular basis to set up the corner and manage it during market hours.
“I don’t know if that’s going to develop this year because there are a lot of safety issues involved with that because you have to be careful who is working with the kids,” McNeill said. “Not everybody knows how to do that…to build a fun place where a parent might feel safe to leave their kids so they can walk around the markets and the kids can have fun.”
Community members interested in attending the market should be aware that the market’s hours changed from last year to accommodate peak traffic hours and allow vendors to maximize their time. Market patrons will be able to shop their favorite vendors and discover new ones from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month through September.
If you’re a craftsperson, artisan or farmer, and you’re interested in securing a vendor spot for the upcoming summer market season, McNeill asks that you reach out to her via the market’s email listed on the Airway Heights Summer Market Facebook page. While submissions with short descriptions of the items are acceptable, McNeill encourages anyone interested to submit photos of the wares they plan to sell to help her ensure a variety.
“Sometimes people will say, ‘I make jewelry,’ but what type of jewelry do you make?” McNeill said. “Is it resin, is it beaded, is it a gemstone, because it makes a difference on what type of jewelry.”
