Angi Wildt’s advice to first-time marketgoers: live in the moment.

“Breathe. Give yourself time to take it in. There will always be something at the market for everyone,” she said.

It’s Wildt’s eighth year as the Seaside Farmers Market manager, with the market celebrating its 10th year.

Wildt’s work as the market manager consists of coordinating, planning, hiring musicians, communicating with vendors and more. “There are a lot of moving parts to the market. It’s kind of hard to share everything I do in a season,” she said.

Wildt has seen the market grow from its awkward first years. The pet-friendly market — which hosts more than 45 vendors on average each week — was created in June 2014 by the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District. The priority was to give opportunities for Seaside and surrounding areas with easy access to a healthy lifestyle.

“It was a perfect pairing to offer a market where we could provide support for our local farmers, and help them grow while giving our community healthy food options,” Wildt said.

Variety of vendors

Blackberry Bog Farm sells plant starts and produce. Owner Scott Thompson is in his ninth year at the market and remembers selling flower bouquets at the market’s old location near the Seaside American Legion. He was an organizer in the early years of the market.

“I was involved in getting the market up and running. There were only a handful of vendors. A group of five of us met through the winter of 2013 to 2014 and got it organized,” he said. “The first couple of years were a struggle.”

Now, the market sees an average of 16,000 visitors each season and Thompson has a loyal customer base. “Over the years, we’ve built a solid base of regular customers and they’re very loyal. Even through the pandemic, we could count on them to come out and shop,” Thompson said.

Seaside’s market is among many coastal area markets which are cleverly staggered throughout the region. Seaside joins a list of other summer farmers markets along the coast, including Astoria, Cannon Beach, Manzanita and Ilwaco.

Allan Berry, the founder and owner of Olivers Gourmet Co., operates a small family business that sells pickled garlic and other veggies, hand-stuffed olives and all-natural cocktail mixes. Berry has been a vendor at the market for five years.

“We’ve got regulars that come down for pickled garlic. That’s what we’re famous for. We sample out all of our products and people are surprised and often say, ‘Oh, that’s very mild and delicious,’ when they taste the garlic,” he said.

Elaine Fosse is another vendor celebrating five years. She is the owner and founder of Fosse Farms, selling salad dressings and shrub drinking vinegars. She sees not only the loyal weekly customers that come through the market but tourists from all over the U.S. and beyond.

“Angi has grown this market over the years. She really cares about the vendors and customers. She tries to make sure everyone is happy. It’s a fun market and the variety of vendors is wonderful,” Fosse said.

“I can’t imagine a vibrant community like Seaside not having a market,” Wildt said. “There are pockets of people bumping into each other, catching up, hugging, dancing, meandering and creating nice memories.”

The season runs until Sept. 27, and is held Wednesdays from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Sunset Recreation Center parking lot, 1120 Broadway St. The market also hosts different live music each week. The market’s schedule can be viewed online at www.seasidemarket.org.