Spring Updates; Bike to Work Friday!; Summer hours; Little Library; Freezer; Popups; Little Library; Seed Exchange; Shipping conundrums

Hello friends and supporters,

The sun has arrived and we lift our faces to the warmth as fiddleheads unfurl, tree buds open, and we feel that sense of ease that comes with long Alaskan spring and summer days. We wanted to share our little Blue Market AK news - from new summer hours, bike to work day specials, inventory and equipment, transparency about some unforeseen issues, lending library and seeds exchange and more....read on....

- New Summer Hours: From Memorial Day through Labor Day, we will open one hour later, adjusting to those late Alaskan summer nights and enjoying sleeping in now and then. Summer Hours are Tuesday through Sunday noon-7pm May 28-Sept 5.

- May 20th Bike to Work Day 20% off Sale for Bicyclists & free cookie! Come shop with us on Bike to Work Day, Friday May 20th, and receive 20% off your purchases! Also anyone biking by on that day can pick up a free cookie from 4-6pm (no purchase necessary).

- Popups: We love seeing the creativity of Alaskan makers. If you or someone you know would like to try popping up in a location that is not an outdoor market setting but a quiet intimate friendly environment, please consider popping up in the store or outside in our sunny parking lot. Visit our Events page on our website to see a schedule of popups or to request a spot. Note that we have adjusted the popups policy and fees, details can be found here: https://www.bluemarketak.com/popupsschedule.html.

- New FREEZER on the retail floor! We are super excited about the FREEZER on the retail floor - now you no longer have to ask us for raviolis or frozen meats - as they are held in the customer-accessible freezer on the floor.

- Got extra plant starts that need a home? - We will take any flower or veggie starts off your hands, and add them to our awesome little lasagna garden at the edge of our parking lot and beds under the windows.

- SEEDS Exchange ongoing - We continue to offer a seeds exchange at the store, come check it out or drop some off.

- LITTLE LIBRARY! - We also love exchanging books! So we have set aside some space for a give and take little library - come sip a warm drink and read under our magical yellow umbrella.

- Transparency about out of stock items - Well, the repercussions of COVID times continue to haunt us, as we experience supply shortages, shipping delays, and even fires in warehouses at some of our suppliers. Please read the article below for more information. We look forward to FULL SHELVES by the end of May/early June and moving forward.

- Events teaser - Our Earth Day event was so much fun, we hope to host a few more events this summer/fall - we will keep you posted as plans evolve.

- Tuesday Talks Series taking a summer break - We are postponing our Tuesday Talks series until after the summer - because who wants to sit inside on a beautiful Alaskan summer evening anyway? Get outside!

With gratitude for you, our loyal customers and supporters, let's go PLAY in the sunshine,

-- Jen, Jess, Erica and the entire Blue Market crew

Friday May 20th -
BIKE TO WORK DAY

Bike to the store for 20% off your purchase today only, and get a COOKIE when you bike to our treat station from 4-6pm (no purchase necessary)!

TRANSPARENCY: We know we are running low on many of your favorite products that you’ve come to expect us to carry. We wanted to reassure you not to worry - they will be back! Meanwhile, we are ever grateful for your patience. The reasons are myriad and cumulative: supply shortages (you wouldn’t believe the lack of flax seeds globally!); shipping delays; fires burning down warehouses at some of our favorite suppliers; staffing shortages; necessary capital purchases. Sigh. A large shipment is on its way the last week of May, and after that we will be on a more regular schedule (fingers crossed). We will continue to research alternate sources for things like the ever-evasive organic flax seeds and red lentils, as we muddle through this new world of ours. Again, thank you for your patience and continued support.

P.S. if you are aware of wholesale sources for high quality products in bulk from sustainability-minded vendors, please drop us a line.

P.S.S. one more thing - you might notice a slight increase in some of our prices. Unfortunately, this is due to our increases in shipping costs and other expenses. Even our local suppliers have begun to raise their prices since their costs to receive materials and ingredients has increased. Again, we appreciate your patience as we navigate this new world and we do our best to provide you with accessible pricing and sustainable, quality products.

Little Library!

One of Erica’s very favorite summer activities is laying outside all afternoon with a book, often forgetting things like food, water, and sunscreen. (So if you notice that only half her face is sunburned, just pretend not to 😅)

Join her summer reading spree and check our new little free library! Come get a coffee, take a book, leave a book, y’all know the drill. Keep used books out of the trash!

✌🏻 📚