Local nonprofit aims to start weekly market in May
Borough officials heard a preview this week of a new event they’re hoping takes off: a North Wales Farmers Market.
“This is something that I think is really cool,” said council President Mark Tarlecki.
Over the past two years, local business owners have revived a defunct borough business alliance by creating Main Street North Wales, a nonprofit that aims to enhance the borough by promoting and supporting town events, gathering feedback from local residents on their goals and priorities, and developing a new brand identity that draws on a town business from the early 1900s.
The next project for Main Street North Wales? A farmers market that will run 26 weeks, from May to October, and bring dozens of vendors to Summit Street for local residents to shop.
“It’s going to be every Sunday, out on Summit Street, in front of the elementary school. It’s a great way to bring your family out to the market, and buy some bread, buy some jam, buy some really cool things I’m sure we’ll see for sale there,” Tarlecki said.
Early plans call for the market to run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, with setup and takedown from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the market would sell slots to vendors for $20 per table and a two month minimum commitment. The borough’s normal event fee for similar town events is $35 per week, Tarlecki told council, but the group is requesting a discount for the trial season.
“We want to help them by reducing that amount for the time being, and giving them a sum payment for the entire length of the farmers market,” he said.
“We have to put up roadblock signs, trash cans, there’s questions about porta-potties. So there is an expense to the borough, and we do have to charge something to offset those costs,” he said.
That fee would total $910 for the full season and market organizers are requesting a 50 percent discount for a $455 total fee, borough Manager Christine Hart told the group; borough codes do allow nonprofits to have event permit fees reduced to zero with a council vote. Resident Andrew Berenson asked if that fee would cover the whole season, and Hart said it would; councilwoman Susan Manning asked if it would cover the town’s expenses, and Hart said that’s more complex to answer.
“Main Street North Wales is our business alliance, and we’re hoping that they succeed. Obviously, it’s bringing economic stability, hopefully not only to our businesses that may attend, or other businesses that visitors may find something new about North Wales,” she said.
“I think it’s a kind gesture — we want them to succeed, and anything we can do in collaboration to help them grow,” Hart said.
Councilwoman Star Little, who’s also a member of Main Street North Wales, said other expenses related to the event would not be covered by the discount. The permit application estimates the market would draw roughly 100 people weekly and could also include music playing via speakers and could use barricades on Summit Street at Second and Fourth Streets to close the road to traffic.
Council voted unanimously to approve the reduced permit fee, and Little said afterward that organizers have been in contact with their counterparts who run the Lansdale market to learn about do’s and don’ts. She said vendors are not yet finalized but names familiar to those who visit the Lansdale market may appear at the North Wales market, too.
Main Street North Wales organizer Dan Levy added that the market has so far enlisted roughly 40 vendors, with roughly 20 to 30 slated to appear each week, and have started pages for the North Wales Farmers Market on Facebook and Instagram: “Those will have updates consistently until our grand opening May 3rd and throughout the season,” he said.
