Re-Imagining the Vashon Farmers Market

The University of Washington (UW) College of Built Environments (CBE) Storefront Studio is returning to Vashon Island to develop designs that re-imagine the Vashon Farmers Market for the Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA). Under the direction of UW Storefront Studio Director Jim Nicholls, three graduate students –Jared Luther, Kirk Malanchuck, and Michael Riha – will be developing design ideas to revitalize and reconfigure the Vashon Farmers Market to better serve the community and the growth of the Farmers Market.

This project will build upon two previous UW projects on Vashon and Maury Islands. It follows a 2012 King County funded UW Storefront Studio project, in which students assessed and recommended ways to revitalize the community’s commercial structures. In 2014 a group of UW Urban Planning graduate students analyzed and recommended ways to enhance Vashon and Maury Islands’ agriculture sector. Both previous projects recommended revitalizing the Vashon Farmers Market to better serve the growth of the Vashon Farmers Market and as a community enhancement.

The Vashon Farmers Market operates at full capacity in terms of number farm, food, and craft producers selling their goods in the height of the Farmers Market season. The current structure is often congested during the busiest times of the Market. VIGA hopes the Storefront Studio will offer design solutions that provide a welcoming, enjoyable and visibly intriguing experience for customers while meeting the needs of vendors and honoring the heritage of agriculture on the island. At the conclusion of the Storefront Studio project, VIGA will have a set of preferred design renderings with feasibility and construction cost estimates that can be used to apply for funding opportunities to implement the improvements.

The UW Storefront Studio and VIGA encourage community input during the project. Community members are invited to attend a public meeting on Saturday, February 21 at the Vashon Library between 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm to meet the UW Storefront Studio team. Initial design ideas will be on display for community members to view and provide comments. A second public meeting will be held March 7 for community members to view the revised designs (location and time TBD).

Project contacts for more information:
• Project contact: Sarah Lowry, 206-437-8981, sarahjunelowry@gmail.com
• UW Storefront Studio Director: Jim Nicholls, 206-616-4366, jnicholl@uw.edu
• VIGA Board Co-Chair: Dan Carlson, 206- 650-8674, karelifarm@aol.com
• VIGA Farmers Market Manager: Caleb Johns, 206-718-1855, vfmmgr@gmail.com