SEATTLE — Every Sunday in Seattle you'll find a street market that's as funky as the neighborhood it's held in.
"We're very different than most markets, but we really embrace that," said Ryan Reiter, managing director for Northwest Marketplaces, organizers of the Fremont Sunday Market. "This market is pretty simple. It got started as a kind of a community experiment through my parents who started in 1990 as their kind of ode to European style street market," said Reiter. "We really reference this as more than a farmers market, a flea market. It’s a little bit of everything."
When it's open the market becomes the largest vintage shopping experience in Seattle.
"We have a place called the HyperMarket which is inside the garage. That's pretty much strictly just oddities, collectibles, hard-to-find clothing and a lot of characters too."
Characters like Ian Windham who’s been a vendor at the Fremont Sunday Market for over two decades.
"I've been selling in this same spot for 21 years now," said Windham. "Every Sunday, I mean my eyes are open 4 a.m. no matter what, to get down here. I spend my weeks getting fresh stuff ready and priced. It's a little overwhelming sometimes but I wouldn't have it any other way."
If you come to the market be sure to bring your wallet and your appetite.
"We have probably one of the largest curbside brunch offerings in town,” said Reiter. "We have about 15 different unique hot food items. We have Theos Gyros, we've got Oh Dang in a Cup - they do like stir fry Asian cuisine. We've got Kottu which is Sri Lankan cuisine.”
Sid Suntha, the owner and chef behind Kottu, said the Fremont Sunday Market is his favorite market to cook at.
"I'm kind of a big food guy and I'm very lucky that these are all my coworkers and all my friends and I get to trade food with everyone so I get to try a little bit of everything," Suntha said.
Coming here also means people can meet the makers behind the booths.
"Anyone coming here, it's easy to see just booths. But there are many unique stories here of how people arrived, how they got here," said Reiter. "It's one thing to just go and buy something, but you're actually going to meet most of the people that are behind the business."
The Fremont Sunday Market now has over 160 vendors and they plan to expand to 200 later this year.
"There are a lot of things that have changed about Seattle, and we understand that, but we're really happy this is something that people can depend on and just be a bright spot on their weekend," Reiter said.
The Fremont Sunday Market is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays
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