From Meadow Summers:
I started thinking about the idea of creating an online farmers market of sorts as I was taking a small acreage farming class from Diane Green of Greentree Naturals. I noticed that a few of my classmates had produce, eggs, and honey to sell in the middle of February, so I wondered if our community just might have even more to offer, even in the dead of winter. I had also been trying to support our great Sandpoint Farmers’ Market earlier in the year, but had a real hard time finding the produce I needed for our family while at the market with my five kids in tow. Talking with a few friends let me know I wasn’t the only one who wanted to support our local farmers, but just didn’t find the traditional farmers’ market set-up convenient for them.
After a few months of research, I discovered the Oklahoma Food Co-op system, and started thinking about how we could put it into place here. I sent out a few emails, then all of a sudden found myself in the middle of developing this great project. I pulled my husband in as the web developer, and we’ve been working on this project in our “free time” ever since. I see it as a great way husband Clint and I can contribute to our community, making it an even more wonderful place for us to raise our kids.
Through 2008 I spent hours with Kim Bledsoe, Suzy Miller, Dean Erich Schillinger and many others working through the details of applying the online local food coop concept to our area. Kim helped coordinate our first meetings at the Sandpoint Charter School. Suzy brought her enthusiasm for home food production and connections with many long-time growers in our community. Dean shared his insights and experience with his work in retail food coops. Suzy and Dean also stepped up and joined with Meadow to create an LLC to help Six Rivers Market through its development stages. Many others joined us at our meetings, shared their thoughts and ideas, and all of us continued to spread the word.
You can see Meadow here with her husband Clint (also the developer for Six Rivers Market) and their five amazing kids, Addy, Taylor, Mia, Kenna and Dax.
Once the Six Rivers Market website was up and running the concept just seemed to catch on with the community. In August 2008 we worked hard to survey the community to see if the idea just might work. Vicki Reich also came along about that time, bringing along her extensive knowledge of food co-ops and natural food. In early September 2008 we hosted our first potluck and enjoyed sharing local dishes and discussing how we would move the co-op forward in the coming months.
Here you can see Vicki Reich, Suzy Miller, and Dean Schillinger checking out Tofu Phil’s amazing tofu at our September 2008 Community Potluck Picnic
By December 2008 Clint and I had a pretty functional shopping site set up, based on the software system developed by the Oklahoma Food Co-op. We released the site out to Producers, giving Producers a chance to jump on the site and become familiar with how it works. We worked out a few bugs, then opened the site to the public in January 2009, offering members a discounted early membership fee.
In the meantime, Vicki Reich offered to serve as market manager, being willing to work with Six Rivers at it grew. Vicki jumped right on board, seeking out new Producers, writing press releases, seeking out locations, and so much more. Suzy Miller then planned and coordinated a fantastic potluck and fundraiser at Community Hall in March 2009. The potluck brought in over 20 new members and funds to help the co-op grow and expand.
In February we received a gracious offer from the Sandpoint Business and Events Center to use its gymnasium on a weekly basis for our Delivery Days. We couldn’t have a more ideal location to start the market: ample space, a commercial kitchen to hold product, tables, a loading dock, ample parking and a central Sandpoint location!
In early March of 2009 Vicki and I visited Idaho’s Bounty in Ketchum, Idaho, a similar food co-op also based on the Oklahoma Food Co-op software. We learned a lot of concepts and ideas we could apply to Six Rivers, and returned to Sandpoint confident that Six Rivers would be success, not only as a market, but as a lasting fixture of our community. With product being posted, new members joining daily, use of a beautiful facility, and a market manager in place, we were set to meet our goal of opening the first week of April 2009.
Mid-March of 2009 Clint and I updated and reworked the entire site to apply a new version of the Oklahoma Food Co-op software, along with the help of Roy Guisinger. We released the newly revised site in time for our April 2009 opening, excited about the software’s new features, and even more excited knowing that the site would really be used and that it was only the beginning.
With the framework in place, Six Rivers Market is now set to grow endlessly. We look forward to seeing it evolve and change, meeting the needs of our community today, and for many years to come. Thank you, to all who have helped move it forward and who are dedicated to helping it grow. |
