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Market manager outlines vendor rules, 80/20 production proposal and fee changes
Summary
At a Cannon Beach market committee meeting, the market moderator reviewed vendor sign‑ups, proposed an 80% production / 20% augment rule for vendors, discussed verification of product claims, and said the annual fee was increased to fold in an application charge and the daily rate was raised.
The market moderator (Speaker 1) reviewed preparations for the upcoming season, telling the committee that construction at City Hall will be mostly interior this year and that organizers hope limited parking will still be available for the market. She said the American Legion has offered expanded parking compared with last year and reiterated that private coffee‑shop spaces remain privately controlled and may require cones or tow enforcement to keep them available for customers.
The moderator read a preliminary list of vendors who had signed up and been approved — including produce growers, bakeries, flower farms, spice vendors and three distilleries that will split appearances — and said most returning vendors had been asked to register by the 15th; she reported about seven to nine vendors had not yet completed sign‑up. She also announced a plan to let student groups use the market information table monthly to sell small crafted items because booth sales are limited to prepared food.
Committee members pressed the moderator on vendor eligibility and enforcement. One member (Speaker 3) proposed, and the group tentatively supported, an 80%‑made / 20%‑augment threshold to ensure vendors are primarily selling goods they produce. "I like that — 80% made," Speaker 1 said in the discussion; the idea was seconded in the meeting. Members also discussed longstanding vendors who would remain grandfathered under any new criteria and the need to write clear, consistent selection standards so the committee could justify decisions to applicants.
The committee raised verification concerns after complaints about a honey vendor at a nearby Astoria market; the moderator said a referenced vendor had hired an attorney and recommended doing site visits or asking vendors to show hives, production evidence or permits when questions arise. Members flagged sales of nonproduced goods (for example, branded T‑shirts or products made by outside manufacturers) and discussed whether some augmenting product lines should be permitted for fundraising or branding while protecting the market’s producer focus.
On fees, the moderator said the committee met with city staff and rolled an application fee into the annual rate: the previous annual fee was listed as $3.50 and has been adjusted to $3.75 to absorb the application charge. She also said the daily booth rate was raised to $40 and that vendors who prepay for the entire season can still access a reduced per‑date rate by paying in advance.
Other operational items included the decision to set market hours at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (so cars must clear by 4 p.m.), a reminder that electricity for food vendors is limited, and a reported booth count of about 34 (not counting double booths) with a theoretical capacity near 40 when doubles are included. The moderator said she will circulate the market handbook and proposed vendor criteria for the committee to review and formalize before applying new rules to applicants.
The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn moved by the moderator and seconded by other committee members.
