GREEN RIVER — Longtime local vendor and Green River resident Kris Weidner stepped in to manage the Green River Farmers Market this year to ensure its continued success. Weidner and his wife Britta own and operate Weidner Family Specialities, and have sold their baked goods summer after summer at the farmers market.
For several years, the Green River Urban Renewal Agency/Main Street operated the farmers market. Following the closing of that agency, the city took over the farmers market last year. As Weidner has participated in the market for many years as a vendor, he wants the market to continue as successfully as possible. He believes the current location of the market on Roosevelt Drive, next to Flaming Gorge Harley-Davidson, is the best place for the market and didn’t want to risk it moving locations. That’s what motivated him to volunteer to run the market this summer.
“I decided to manage the market because I have a vested interest in its success,” Weidner said. “As they say in business, its all about location. I believe where it is is the most accessible and most visible in all of Green River. I didn’t want to take the chance of moving locations and then customers wouldn’t attend. However, we have amazing customers here in Green River, and while I believe they would find the market wherever it is, theres no need to change venues.”
This year so far, they’ve had over 40 vendors at each week’s farmers market, and they also have a waitlist of vendors. He said the biggest change for vendors this summer is that it is no longer a pop-up market, but vendors must instead register for a spot.
“Vendors can’t simply show up when and where they want. Vendors must register with me first and they will be assigned a space if available. We are trying to limit the number of vendors selling the same kinds of products but there are competing types of products,” Weidner said. “There is still no charge to be a vendor this year, although that may change in the years to come.”
While Weidner is the one managing the market, it still takes a village, and he said he has had some help along the way.
“Steve Core and Raime Drake at the city have been a big help this year,” he said. “I have asked Raime to manage the social media for the market.”
In the future, Weidner plans to continue managing the market. He hopes to increase advertising in future years to bring even more people in to check out the vendors.
“My plans for the future are to build that up and try to grow that for advertising but this year the primary form of advertising is word of mouth and the market signs around town every Wednesday,” he said.
Today will be the fifth market of the season, “and so far the attendance has been fantastic,” Weidner said. The market will be open every Wednesday from 4-7 p.m., through September 4.
