Spring in its step: Season starts off well for Riverfront Park market

Chilly temperatures and gray skies weren’t enough to keep people away from the Spring Market at the Pavilion in Riverfront Park on Wednesday.

The Spring Market is new this year. More than 20 vendors, selling everything from scones to dog treats, attended the first market of the season. The market will be open every Wednesday for the next six weeks from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Riverfront Park began hosting a market this winter, thanks to CARES Act funding.

“Because it was such a big success, we thought we’d have a spring market,” Riverfront Park Sales and Event Manager Michelle Hannaford said, noting that if the park wasn’t so busy in the summer and fall, the market wouldn’t end in mid-May.

The event has quickly become popular. Hannaford said that by 5 p.m. Wednesday, she had already counted about 700 visitors. She said Riverfront Park would have considered the market a success if 600 people showed up by the end of the day.

Sarah Keenan, owner of Sweets by Sarah K, said the market’s a good way for her 4-year-old bakery business to get exposure with a “whole different demographic of Spokane.”

Turnout has been great for both the winter markets and the first spring market of the year, Keenan said.

“I think with all the vaccinations happening, people feel more safe to come out,” she said.

General stir-craziness appears to be contributing to the market’s success.

“It’s great to be out and among people, even if it’s chilly,” Dara Stringer said, adding that it’s also a bonus to “support local businesses, especially during this time.”