South Pearl Street Farmers Market
1400 – 1500 blocks of South Pearl Street (between Iowa and Arkansas)
Sundays, May 1 – November 13, 2022
9am – 1pm
HobNob Events is entering its 16th season managing the South Pearl Street Farmers Market. We strive to support and enhance the surrounding communities by providing a Farmers Market experience where a great variety of fresh and wholesome products can be found.
We believe it is important to support our local community, therefore, all products must be grown, raised, produced or gathered by the vendor in the state of Colorado or in counties bordering the state of Colorado. In the case that a product is unavailable in the state of Colorado but we feel it would be a benefit to the market and the vendors, we will evaluate the relationship between the vendor and the producer and make the best decision we can noting that sometimes there are exceptions to the rule.
Become a Vendor
2022 Applications are live!
Applications are due February 15th.
Applicants will receive notice of acceptance or denial by March 15th.
All applications received after February 15th will be subject to a late fee and will be reviewed after the initial communications have gone out on March 15th.
In advance of applying please review market information below.
Market Information
SPS Farmers Market Policies & Procedures
Booth Fees
Each market charges a seasonal fee, and depends on booth size. Additionally, 10% of vendors’ daily gross proceeds will be collected via Venmo. Please be sure to have an account set up if accepted into the Market. Failure to comply with fee payment on Market days may result in a $15.00 fine. Vendors will not be allowed to set up until past obligations have been cleared.
Drop-In Versus Full Season
Drop In
If you select “Drop In” on your vendor application you will be put on our list of vendors willing to fill an open space on an as needed basis.
Process: You may email dates you are available to attend a Market at any time. The market manager will reach out letting you know if that (those) dates work. The week prior tof your market participation you will be asked to pay the drop in fee (fee varies for markets) – this must be paid prior to your attending. At the end of your Market day you will be required to pay 10% of your daily gross sales via Venmo.
Full Season
If you select “Full Season” you are signing up and agreeing to participate in the entire season of the market. Attendance consistency is critical in attracting buying customers to the market. It is important that vendors make a commitment to attend the market at least 90% of their season or more.
Supporting Documents You Will Need
Supporting Documents must be emailed to HobNob Events prior to opening day.
The following documents are required (not all documents apply to all vendor types, check with the Denver Permitting department if you have any questions):
- State Sales Tax License
- City of Denver Sales Tax License. Denver tax rate is 4.81%
- Temporary Retail Food License
- Fire Permit
- Liability Insurance
- Certificates of Insurance additionally insuring: SPS Merchant Association and HobNob Events & festivals
General liability insurance is required. Please name the market(s) and HobNoob Events you as additionally insured. HobNob Events and the respective markets are not responsible for any loss or damage incurred or caused by vendors.
If the market incurs a fine of any kind for a vendor’s non-compliance, HobNob Events will pass along that fine to the vendor and vendor may incur an additional minimum fee of $1000 – $25,000, depending on incurred legal / licensing fees.
Please refer to the Market Policies and Procedures for more information.
Vendor Qualifications
The Farmers Market is focused on providing fresh, local food and food related products. We strive to support the communities and surrounding businesses, by having vendors that complement their businesses, but do not compete.
The following items do not match the mission of our farmers markets and will not be accepted:
- Hand crafted items and jewelry outside of businesses on the street
- Overly processed foods
- Nationally distributed packaged foods
- Businesses that operate under a franchise agreement
- Food items not grown and/or processed by the vendor (there are a few exceptions to this)
Farmers, growers, ranchers and fishers may be asked to go through a phone interview or site visit before final acceptance.
The following list is a sampling of accepted items into the market:
- farm products
- vegetables
- fruit
- berries
- herb
- flowers
- plants
- honey
- seafood
- meat
- poultry
- eggs
- dairy products
- ready to eat foods
- beverages
- wine
- spirits
- baked goods
- preserves
- cheese
- sausage
Vendor Selection
The Market Manager and the individual market committees select vendors annually and have the unconditional and final decision making authority to accept or deny acceptance to the Farmers Market. Selection is based on product quality, sourcing, growing practices, presentation, seniority, safety, compliance, and grandfathered vendors, customer service and the right product mix to ensure a successful market for everyone. No vendor will have guaranteed return rights to the Market from season to season or from Market to Market. The Market generally does not offer exclusive rights to vendors to sell any one product. Market customers generally benefit from having a choice. However, if the Market Manager believes the number of vendors offering the same or similar products is excessive, duplicate products may be denied entry.
When filling out the application, please give examples of where you source (or plan to source) your ingredients, listing the names of farms or other local-direct sources where possible.
After entry deadlines, new applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis.
FAQ
I’m interested in being a vendor at one of your Markets. What is the process?
All market applications must be filled out online. The application deadline is February 15th.
If I have a 10×10 tent but need room on the sides of my booth for patrons to shop, am I considered oversized?
Yes, you are. If it is a necessity to your selling, you will be considered an oversized booth.
I want to apply to be a vendor at your market, but the deadline has passed, can I still apply? Do you have space available?
We accept Farmer Market applications year-round. After the February 15th deadline has passed, we look at applications on a monthly basis and accept new vendors based on space availability and need.
How do you choose your Farmers Market vendors?
The selection process takes into consideration many factors including:
- local producer/grower
- food/agriculture or kitchen oriented product
- product quality
- sourcing
- growing practices
- presentation
- number of consecutive years at the market/number of absences last season
- compliance
- customer service
- the right product mix to ensure a successful market for everyone.
I do not sell a product. Can I set up a booth at your market?
The focus of this market is on food and food-related items. Informational vendors are not accepted into the market.
Can I come to your markets and pass out flyers to promote my new business/non-profit organization/charity event?
We wish to provide market customers with a relaxing and enjoyable experience where they can stroll through the market and interact with the market vendors. NO solicitors or distribution/marketing of non-approved products are allowed at our markets. This includes signature gathering for petitions and voter sign-up.
I’ve seen booths set up at your markets for items that are not on your vendor list or you’ve said you don’t allow in the market. Can you explain?
In order to support the community, the merchants on the street and the Merchant/Neighborhood Associations, we allow brick and mortar stores on the market streets to set up booths and sell their goods at the market.
Do you close your markets during inclement weather?
Markets are open rain, snow or shine and all holidays. We will only cancel during EXTREME weather conditions. We ask that you check your email for weather updates.
I do not have any photos of my booth to upload for the application, what should I do?
Take some nice photos of your product(s).