The Cle Elum Downtown Association is hosting their own local business market. Every Saturday, excluding July, of the next three months, the Cle Elum Downtown Association will host this market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Harris Ave. between 1st Street and Railroad Street. The market will be conducted on June 5, July 10, August 7 and September 4.  

Taryn Lundh is the program assistant for the Cle Elum Downtown Association and has had this idea since the end of last year. She and her team have been working on and off with this project since the end of last year.   

“We’ve wanted to do this market for a while,” Lundh said. “The Promotion Committee liked the idea, we just didn’t have enough staff to make it actually happen.” 

The Cle Elum Downtown Association has put on markets before. However, this is their first big market. The Downtown Association put on a Mother’s Day market featuring local businesses. There were about 10 vendors at the Mother’s Day Market. Lundh is estimating around 20 vendors for the first Public Market. She currently has 12 vendors signed up already. 

“For our June market, every vendor will get a 10×10 tent and will be placed 6-feet apart from other booths,” Lundh said. “Hopefully, once the state opens up at the end of June, we can fit more vendors along that street.”

Lundh said that masks and social distancing will still be monitored throughout the duration of the market. She said at the June market there will be an entrance lane, an exit lane and a one-way for cars to pass through. 

“We decided on Saturdays every month because this is our first big market and we don’t have any prior experience,” Lundh said. “This is almost like a test of our abilities and the community support.” 

Lundh said the vendor application takes about five minutes and is sent directly to her email for approval. When vendors sign up, they are able to choose how long they would like to participate in the market. An individual week is $35 and the entire season is $100.

“Right now, all I’m doing is reviewing these applications,” Lundh said. “So you’ll be approved for the market and sent the next steps rather quickly.” 

Lundh advises attendees bring cash with them, wear a mask and bring comfortable shoes for walking around the market as well as downtown Cle Elum.