Seattle’s Pike Place Market opened 116 years ago today

Happy Birthday to the Market!

Seattle’s landmark Pike Place Market opened with about eight farmers selling produce from their wagons and carts on August 17, 1907. The farmers would sell out and the Market was born.

According to historylink.org, the Pike Place Market started in response to the dishonest actions of many commission houses in downtown Seattle, who would sell the farmer’s products at a massive markup, and pay the farmers a much lower price.

Plus, the houses would only sell the farmer’s produce on commission, meaning they only paid for what they sold. But farmers accused the houses of claiming they didn’t sell the product and saying it spoiled, when in reality the houses sold the product and pocketed everything.

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Additionally, some houses imported fruits and vegetables from California and undercut the locally grown food.

On top of all that, consumers said the houses would toss any surplus, keeping demand high and forcing prices up.

In July 1907, in response to complaints from consumers and farmers, Seattle City Council member Thomas P. Revelle introduced an ordinance that created a farmers market at Pike Place. It passed on Aug. 5.

On Aug. 17, the city set up an area for farmers to set up their wagons and proclaimed it as “Market Day.”

The commission houses threatened to blacklist any farmers that sold at the Market and only eight farmers arrived the first day. They were immediately overwhelmed by the crowd and completely sold out.

On Aug. 19, ten farmers arrived. On Aug. 20, ten more. By Saturday, Aug. 24, nearly 70 wagons filled up the Market with produce to sell.

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