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An all-year neighborhood favorite for 30 years, the Fremont Sunday Market has been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But its comeback is imminent. This Sunday, September 6, the European-style street market — which has a mix of retail and food vendors — will reopen with new protocols in place, not unlike those installed by some of the city’s farmers markets. The new rules will not allow for any food trucks or made-to-order dishes, but operators can set up shop and offer packaged meal kits.
Among the food vendors participating this Sunday with take-home meals are catering company T’juana Tacos and Shoreline’s Kathmandu Momocha, which features frozen Nepali dumplings (vegan and gluten-free options are available). Attendees will also find Shipwreck Honey, True North Coffee Roasters, Alexandra’s Macarons, and the Pike Place Market staple Piroshky Piroshky selling their goods to go.
Executive director Ryan Reiter of Northwest Markets — the organization behind siblings SLU Saturday Market, Seattle Night Market, and Mobile Food Rodeo — says the Fremont Market is limited to 40 vendors at the moment, but hopes to increase that capacity to 65 within a couple of months. The group is in talks with other market regulars, such as Ellenos, Lowrider Baking Co., Sugar & Spoon, Beanfish Taiyaki, and Glow Tea, to sign up soon.
“It is our plan to continue to introduce more unique meal kit options and encourage local food trucks and restaurants to join us for a larger offering once we get more room and vendors are prepared to return curbside,” says Reiter, adding that the market will be entirely outdoors now.
In addition to the “no prepared food rule,” the market — open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — will have a few more restrictions to encourage social distancing, including a gated entry and exit, and limited total occupancy. There will also be temperature checks, and masks must also be worn at all times. In October, Fremont Sunday Market plans to launch an online shopping hub to increase the offerings for curbside pickup.
- Fremont Sunday Market [Official]
