SPOKANE, Wash. — Riverfront Park was flooded with local buyers at the annual Idaho Central Credit Union Spring Market today. Today’s purchases helped many businesses with some much-needed economic relief from rising costs.
Local entrepreneurs say events like this help them manage increased expenses like gas, food ingredients and shipping costs.
Melanie Lowback, who sells handmade lavender fragrance products, said her company switched to more affordable packaging options.
“We’ve been able to switch out the containers we moved into, like the tins, which we thought were cute anyway. The glass containers have definitely increased,” Lowback said.
Victoria Pettersen, who runs a wood-crafting business, explained how shipping expenses add up quickly.
“It is pretty expensive for sure to get started on all of that. Like just getting like a thing of paper bags is like $50, which might not seem like a lot, but it’s not that many bags,” Pettersen said.
Edward Ritchie, an employee at a local ice cream stand, noted ingredient price increases.
“Our prices have gone up, that’s for sure. The price of cream has gone up, and the flavor, the flavorings to make the ice cream have gone up,” Ritchie said.
Despite higher costs, some business owners remain committed to keeping prices stable.
“It’s been a little bit challenging, but yeah, we’re trying to do the best to have the same price always,” Garcia said.
Many vendors also sell products online and participate in other local markets throughout the year, helping them balance operational costs.
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