Local military base starts farmers market. Vendors, including vets, encouraged to join
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is adding to its list of on-base services with a weekly farmers market.
The JBLM Marketplace launched April 20 and will continue every other Tuesday through Sept. 14. Leaders are hoping the marketplace will become a year-round event.
“Obviously it will be subject to vendors availability and the popularity of the event,” said Josh Soldan, business and recreation division chief for JBLM’s Office of Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
Soldan said the idea to bring the marketplace to the base came from JBLM garrison commander Col. Skye Duncan.
“The garrison commander saw all the great farmers markets in the community around the base and saw a need to bring access to something like that to our community,” Soldan said. “We really wanted to bring easy access to local products to our on-base community.”
Having the marketplace on Tuesday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. allowed the event to limit conflict with other farmers markets in Pierce and Thurston counties, Soldan said, but it also allows the majority of JBLM’s workforce — 70% of whom work on-base but live in the surrounding area — to take advantage of the market at a time that’s convenient for their work schedule.
The marketplace is being held in the MWR Festival Tent on South 12th Street and Liggett Avenue. Soldan said there are about 15 vendors per week, but there is space for up to 28 with six feet of space between each vendor.
Soldan said the marketplace is hoping to add more fresh food vendors to its roster, but the application process to join the JBLM Marketplace is more rigorous.
Vendors at the JBLM Marketplace must adhere to the Tri-Service Food Code, which can be more stringent than the Washington State Retail Food Code, according to Capt. Claire Barthel, deputy chief of environmental health service for JBLM’s Department of Public Health. For vendors that means completing more paperwork.
So far, just two farm vendors have made the cut — Brady’s Oysters and Skokomish Valley Farms. Soldan said there are more to come and vendors seem excited by the event.
“We’ve seen a great response from vendors who want to come and are just happy we’re doing something like this for our service members,” Soldan said.
For some vendors, the marketplace offers them a chance to give back to their community as a number of the businesses involved are veteran-owned, including Munch Munch Waffles & More, Island Coffee Co. and Sgt. Hart’s BBQ.
Makieda Hart and her husband, retired Army sergeant Reno Hart, the co-founders of Sgt. Hart’s BBQ, first started making their signature barbeque sauce over 20 years ago when he was stationed in Hanau, Germany.
“Most people there don’t have family other than the other military families, so we started doing a weekly barbeque for the families in his unit,” Hart said. “One week we ran out of sauce, so Reno just started improvising with what we had.”
Sgt. Hart’s BBQ offers four flavors including original, chipotle, habanero and Ila Food Brand’s Hurricane Rub. Hart said the sauces aren’t just good for BBQ but can also make a great pizza sauce, marinade or vinaigrette.
This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Local military base starts farmers market. Vendors, including vets, encouraged to join."
