In first year, Columbia Falls market a smashing success

The Columbia Falls Community Market has ended after having a very successful first summer.

Founder O’Brien Byrd said that it has become “the locals market,” a weekly event that brought the community together both physically and emotionally. Byrd and many of the vendors thought the market would attract mostly tourists considering its prime spot along U.S. Highway 2. However, even in peak tourist season the visitors to the market were 95 percent local— Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Bigfork, Kalispell.

“It gave me great pleasure to know that families in these outside communities, would get into their car, drive to our town, get out of their car and hang out with us,” Byrd said.

The first night brought 1,500 attendees, and most thought it would slow down as the summer rolled on, but it didn’t. The market went from May 21 to Sept. 24, averaging 1,700 people every week. The most popular week was Heritage Days when it hit 2,500.

People told Byrd that the market was an excuse for them to get out of the house and see their neighbors, friends or family, and let their kids play together. The kids would drag their parents to the market.

The vision for next year is to provide more for locals and triple the size of the kids market. More nonprofits and youth groups will be invited each night. He is working with Lions Club to move the concert at Marantette Park to 7:30 p.m. when the market ends so that more people can go to both.

Byrd recalled one Thursday evening when a woman in her 90s, who he has seen around town since he was a child, called him over.

“She’s hunched over, she’s on the dance floor, and she’s watching her great-grandchildren dance circles on the CF (logo),” Byrd said

At first, he didn’t think she had the best intentions—maybe the music was too loud or she didn’t like it. But, she starts to cry. She told him, “What you have done for this town has been the best thing that’s ever happened to this town.”

Throughout the week  vendors made their rounds to the other markets in the valley. But the Columbia Falls market stands out, Byrd said.

“I can’t tell you how many of these vendors will tell us that they do the best here, they make the most money, they have the most fun,” Byrd said. He attributes this to feeling of the market, “the vibe is undeniably local.”

The market also impacted local businesses. Todd and Rebecca Ulizio of Two Bear Farm increased the farm shares in Columbia Falls from one to 24. The market was “an opportunity to have another place to drop off,”  Todd said. It improved the community’s access to the farm’s produce and meant people didn’t have to drive to Whitefish, Kalispell or West Glacier to pick up their share. The market was a “positive impact” for Three Forks Grille on Nucleus Avenue, owner Tim Seward said. The restaurant is one block from the market and never had below average business on Thursdays. Seward did admit that sometimes parking was an issue.

Jay Marquesen, part-owner of The Nite Owl, reported that his numbers were on average 15 percent higher than last year. He said some of that increase can definitely be attributed to the market, but also the rodeo, the farmers’ market and the town growing increased his sales. He said the Community Market is good for the town and he is looking forward to it next year.

“Thursday nights were huge for us,” Marquesen said.

The bands loved the open air in The Coop. Many of them wrote to Byrd the very next day saying how much they loved the acoustics. Next year, people can look forward to seeing some of the same groups that made the kids dance, he said.

The Coop especially made a big impression. It was originally going to be called “The Barn,” but changed it since another business in the Flathead Valley already had that name. Byrd has had several people request to use the space for events, five people want to get married there and one wanted to have a funeral. He is starting to think about improvements to turn it into an event venue.

He said that when he sees the “direct impact and the power” of community, it keeps him coming back for more to work harder and with more motivation.

At the last market, people were sad to see it end for the summer. They would miss it and would have to find something else to do on Thursday evenings. Byrd said he couldn’t think of any other event or place where so many community members showed up each week, besides Heritage Days weekend, the Night of Lights Parade or just running into a familiar face at the store.

“I can honestly say it has made our community stronger,” Byrd said.