Market on Main

2024 Vendor Guidelines and General Information

We are excited to start accepting applications for the Market on Main 2024 season!
If you are interested in joining us as a vendor, please read through the vendor guidelines below, complete the Google Form application and submit your application fee at the bottom of the page. Please send a message to the Market Manager at marketonmainevv@gmail.com or call (812) 777-5375 with any questions!

Market Details

Market on Main is located on the Ford Center Plaza, Main Street, from MLK Jr. Blvd to 6th Street and is open every Wednesday rain or shine from June 5th through September 18th from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. 

Application Process 

Please fully review the Market on Main Guidelines prior to filling out the application. Your completed application will be reviewed when the $20 application fee is submitted. Please fill out the Google Form linked at the bottom of this page, submit payment and required documentation by Friday, April 12, 2024. Upon the submission of the required documentation, including the Market on Main Vendor Application, Certificate of Insurance, all local and state required licenses, and payment of the application fee, the Market Manager will confirm or deny admission to Market on Main by April 26, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and participants will be assigned their booth spaces the first week of May. Once approved, vendors will receive an invoice for their booth fees, payable online or by check sent to the Urban Seeds. Please remember that filling out the application is not a guarantee that you will be accepted to the market. 

Urban Seeds

Market on Main

5444 E. Indiana St., #353

Evansville, IN 47715

Booth & Space Fees

Full Season Vendor Space – 10×10 Tent Space on Ford Center Plaza
$150 for 16 Market Dates
Full Season Premium Vendor Space – Main St. Vendors w/ Vehicles & Food Trucks on MLK
$200 for 16 Market Dates
Full Season Nonprofit Vendor – 10×10 Tent Space on Ford Center Plaza
$50 for 16 Market Dates
Pop-Up or Partial Season Vendor – Select Dates
$20/Day

Market Participation

Participation on each market day is expected for those who have applied to be a Full Season Vendor, yet we do understand that circumstances arise that may impact weekly participation. There is a section on the application for you to list any dates that you plan to miss the market. To maintain the vibrancy and consistency of the market, please do your best to attend on the dates you have committed to in your application. If you do need to miss a market date unexpectedly, please alert the Market Manager so we can update our weekly marketing and communications. 

Booth Space

Booth space will be assigned when all required forms and the seasonal market payment are completed and received. Space assignment and a venue map will be available by Friday, May 10th. Each vendor is solely responsible for their own tables, displays, change, bags, weather and sun protection devices, produce scales, etc. All equipment for Full Season and Partial Season Vendors MUST fit within the 10 x 10’ vendor space with the exception of tent legs, so long as the canopy of the tent does not exceed the dimensions of the space. Premium Spot Vendors must submit the length of their vehicle to the Market Manager, so that spacing can be accommodated. Vendors will be required to adjust their setup if it is determined to be unsafe by the Market Manager. Set up must be done between 7:45-8:45 AM. All booths need to be ready by 8:50 am for market opening at 9:00 am. No Sales are permitted prior to the market opening time.

Respect for the drop off of students at SIG School, starting in early August through the end of the market season is a paramount consideration. Details will be shared prior to the onset of the school year.

Vendor Parking

After unloading your vehicle, the following parking options are available:

    • Free parking at the garage at 5th and Locust.
    • The surface lot behind the Civic Center (free)
    • Municipal garage on 6th and Sycamore (fee)
    • Street parking (10 hour parking is available a few blocks to the east or west; parking that is closer is 2 hour parking)
    • Please note that we are working on designated Market Vendor parking at IU and in the Municipal garage. Updates will be provided.
  •  

A select number of premium vendor spots are available at an increased fee of $200 for the season for a 10-foot long bumper to bumper space with additional charges being assessed for longer/larger vehicles. Those seven vendors will be able to keep their vehicle on the street adjacent to their vendor space. These premium spots will be assigned by need on a first come first served basis.

Certificate of Liability Insurance

Vendor shall maintain general liability insurance for protection against claims, injuries and damages. All market vendors for the Market on Main will be required to provide proof of liability insurance coverage in the amount of $500,000 per occurrence or $1,000,000 general aggregate liability insurance. A certificate of coverage will be required and attached to the Market on Main Vendor Application listing the following entities as additionally insured:

  1. Vanderburgh Building Authority (1 NW Martin Luther King Blvd, Evansville, IN 47708)
  2. The Evansville Redevelopment Authority (1 NW Martin Luther King Blvd, Evansville, IN 47708
  3. VenuWorks of Evansville The City of Evansville (1 NW Martin Luther King Blvd, Evansville, IN 47708)
  4. The Evansville Vande LLC and the Ford Center (1 SE Martin Luther King Blvd, Evansville IN 47708)
  1. Urban Seeds, (5444 E. Indiana St., #353, Evansville, IN 47715)

Selling

Vendors must be set up and in place, ready to sell by 8:50 AM. Our market opens for the sales day at 9:00 AM. No early sales are permitted. The Market on Main is committed to being a producer-only market and event. All items sold must be grown, produced, or created by the vendor or vendor cooperative within this region. It is at the discretion of the Market Manager which producers and products will be accepted. Documentation of the source of every item sold at the Market must be provided at the request of the Market Manager. NO RESALE OF PRODUCE OR PRODUCTS will be permitted. 

Permits and Licensing

Vendors are responsible for and shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations and ordinances pertaining to their products. Additionally, vendors must have obtained all necessary licenses, permits and inspections prior to selling at Market on Main. Indiana State Department of Health and Vanderburgh County Department of Health certificates (if applicable) must be submitted to market management via email to marketonmainevv@gmail.com

Indemnification

Vendor agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Urban Seeds and the City of Evansville, its elected and appointed officials, agents, and all employees from and against any and all liabilities and claims due to loss, damage, injuries or other casualties of whatsoever kind, or by whomsoever caused, arising out of or resulting from vendors’ participation in the Market, its sale and/or distribution of goods at the Market on Main, the occupancy or use by the vendor of the Market’s premises or any part of the premises or any other part of the City’s property in connection with the Market, whether due in whole or in part to the negligent acts or omissions of the vendor, its agents, employees, guests, or invitees, or whether due in whole or in part to the negligent acts or omissions of the Urban Seeds, City of Evansville, its officials, agents, or employees, including without limitation any damage or injury to person or property. The vendor further agrees to pay all reasonable expenses and attorney’s fees incurred by or imposed on Urban Seeds or the City of Evansville in connection with any such claim, action or proceeding. Vendor hereby releases and waives any and all claims arising out of this Agreement, including any and all legal recourse it may have now or in the future against Urban Seeds, the City of Evansville, or the Market on Main for any accident, damage or injury caused to person or property on or about the City’s premises.

Market Manager Discretion

The Market Manager reserves the right to make judgment calls based on activity deemed unsafe or unlike that of an upstanding member of the Market. Vendors who fail to comply with the rules set forth in this document may be asked to change their actions or leave the market.

City Property

There can be no use of drugs, or any illegal activities under any circumstances on city property. The City’s property shall not be used in any manner that constitutes a violation of any ordinance, statute,regulation or order of any governmental authority, nor shall any user of the City’s property permit any nuisance to occur or exist on the property.

Acceptable Forms of Payment

As a vendor, it is up to you to determine what forms of payment you will accept. Please let the Market Manager know which forms of payment you accept ahead of opening day. Urban Seeds will continue to offer SNAP acceptance and the Double Up Indiana program at the market in 2024. Farmers and food producers will be reimbursed cash for SNAP and Double Bucks vouchers at the end of each market day.

Marketing & Market on Main Promotion

Weekly updates will be sent out via the Market on Main Facebook, Instagram and web pages. If you are on FB or Instagram, please “like” our page and share our content to help build awareness of our vendors and the weekly market. 

Health Department

Per the Vanderburgh County Health Department, food establishments operating at farmers markets in Vanderburgh County are required to meet minimum sanitation requirements and obtain permits as set forth in the Vanderburgh County Food Ordinance. At any time during the market season should your booth be found not in compliance due to either a routine or surprise inspection performed by a member of the Vanderburgh County Health Department you will be held responsible and will not be able to return to the market until the necessary concessions to the regulations are met. 

420 Mulberry Street
Evansville, In 47713

(812) 435-5683

Application for Food Permit

Indiana Sales Tax

Plants, crafts and other non-food items sold in Indiana are subject to sales tax. Vendors should apply for a Registered Retail Merchants Certificate through their regional Indiana Department of Revenue. Certificates cost $25 and must be renewed every two years. For more information please visit www.in.gov/dor/3986.htm.

Food Safety

Food safety starts with you – whether on the farm or in the home. The Vanderburgh County Health Department can provide you with documentation summarizing food safety or visit their website: vanderburghhealth.org/food-safety-program for information. It is necessary that you practice safe food health when handling your produce or products as it ensures that you are doing your part to protect the health and well-being of others as well as yourselves.

Equipment and Supplies

If selling goods by weight, the vendor must supply a legal produce scale. Umbrellas, tents or other weather protection devices are supplied by the vendor and must be securely anchored. The vendor is solely responsible for damages or personal injury resulting from the use thereof. Prior approval is required for any heat-producing devices. All equipment MUST fit within the vendor’s space with the exception of tent legs, so long as the canopy of the tent does not exceed the dimensions of the space. Vendors will be required to adjust their setup if it is determined to be unsafe by the Market Manager.

Vacating the Market Site

We ask that all vendors exercise extreme caution when vacating the premises and promote pedestrian and vehicular safety at all times. Market hours conclude at 1:00 PM however we would ask that all vendors be removed from the Main Street premises no later than 1:45 PM.

Trash Disposal

Vendors are responsible for ensuring their booth space is cleared of debris and paraphernalia prior to leaving and are expected to remove trash generated by their stand. The Market on Main will provide trash containers for market customers.

Dumping of Water

Vendor with hand washing stations will need to dispose of their wastewater at designated locations as indicated by the Market Manager. Food Trucks will need to dispose of their wastewater at their commissary location.

Severe Weather

In the event severe weather occurs prior to the Market warranting the cancellation of that days’ Market, an email or text notification will be distributed. It is imperative that you provide an email or text number with your application to be used for communication purposes. In the event of a severe thunderstorm or tornado, vendors and customers can shelter in the Ford Center.

Announcements to the public will be made via the website and social media pages.

Smoking

Vendor smoking at the Market on Main is prohibited.

Electricity

Electricity is available. If you require limited electrical needs it must be communicated with the Market Manager in your application so arrangements can be made for necessary connections.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this document. We hope this helps you on your way to having a successful season. If you have any questions or recommendations, please do not hesitate to reach out. We look forward to seeing you at Market on Main!