On August 17, 1907, about eight farmers sell their produce from wagons and carts to large crowds at Pike Place, just west of 1st Avenue in downtown Seattle. The farmers market comes into being in opposition to unethical commission houses, which pay the farmer little and charge the consumer much. The first market immediately sells out, and marks the beginning of the Pike Place Market, which will continue to flourish for more than a century.
Middlemen Offend
Pike Place Market began in response to the dishonest behavior of many commission houses concentrated along Western Avenue between Yesler Way and Seneca Street. The commission houses acted as middlemen between most of the 3,000 King County farmers and their customers — produce shops, grocery stores, and other consumers. Farmers claimed that commission buyers would offer a high price and then, when farmers delivered the produce the next day, pay a much lower price. Also, commission houses would take farmers’ produce on consignment and pay only for that which sold. Farmers accused them of refusing payment for a portion of the produce and claiming spoilage, when in fact they would sell it all and pocket the money. Further, some commission houses imported fruits and vegetables from California that undercut locally produced goods. And consumers complained that commission houses would discard surplus produce so that they could charge artificially high prices…