The Lewiston Farmers Market is hosting more vendors than ever this year after a move to a new location on Thain Grade in Lewiston in the parking lot of the old ShopKo building. The market was moved from its previous location on Snake River Avenue to be more accessible and increase space for the growing list of vendors, said market manager Shannon Gottschalk. The market started this year with 51 vendors and has had between 40 and 45 the past two weeks, she said.
Gottschalk expects that number to grow later into the season, she said. “Last year, I don’t think we ever had more than 39 vendors at the very peak of the market in the middle of July,” Gottschalk said. “We get contacted every week.
‘Are you still taking vendors?’ ” Merchants sold items including soaps, quilts, jams, spices, produce, plants and more. One of the new vendors includes a coffee stand with coffee brewed from freshly-roasted beans. “That’s exciting for me,” Gottschalk said.
“Like, ‘I’ll be your first customer every day.’ ” Some other popular new vendors come to the market intermittently, Gottschalk said, including gluten-free donuts from Back Home Baking, and another stand offering activities for children. Nefretiri Brown, 22, said Saturday was her third time at the Lewiston Farmers Market.
Brown started her small business, Coco’s Essentials, three years ago. She started making her own skincare items at home as a child, she said, and eventually decided to make it into a busine.