Oakland Farmers Market makes its return

A usually quiet stretch of Sennott Street came alive Friday with the opening of the annual… A usually quiet stretch of Sennott Street came alive Friday with the opening of the annual Oakland Farmers Market.

The market opened at 3:30 p.m. between Atwood Street and Meyran Avenue with about 10 vendors selling everything from freshly baked bread to smoked Alaskan salmon.

Farmers markets in other parts of the city like East Liberty and the North Side have been open since May, but the vendors who participate in the Oakland Farmers Market were not ready until late June, said the market’s Executive Director Georgia S. Petropoulos.

Despite the delayed opening to accommodate farmer vendors, the market was not at full capacity.

“We should have had two more farmer vendors, but they didn’t have enough produce,” said Petropoulos.

The market will be open every Friday at 3:30 p.m. from now until November.

With most booths hosting a few customers at any given time last week, Petropoulos expects that as the market continues throughout the year, about 15 vendors should attend every week.

This is more than double the number who started attending four years ago when the Oakland Farmers Market first opened.

Friday’s market was Heather Mikulas’s first farmers market as a vendor. Her business – named “Sweetbaby’s,” after her 8-month-old daughter – specializes in baked goods made with locally grown ingredients.

“I thought this would be a fun way to get involved in the community,” said Mikulas.

Julie Auth of the Alaska Wild Salmon Co. also made her debut Friday at the market. She’s been in business for three years selling wild Alaskan salmon and halibut caught by her brother, who lives in Juneau.

But not every vendor was there to sell food.

Mary Fisher, from the Office of Clinical Research, had a stall at the market where she distributed brochures to passers-by on a variety of health issues.

“I wanted to incorporate health into the farmers market,” said Fisher.

Last year, about 200 to 300 people attended the market on a weekly basis. Petropoulos expects to see more regulars because the market has more vendors and marketing this year.