About: Linden Place’s Farmers’ Market in Bristol, RI showcases local vendors in the historic ballroom at Linden Place in the heart of downtown Bristol. The market will take place indoors, rain or shine, in our historic ballroom. If inclement weather prevents us from holding the market, 24 hours’ notice will be given.
The historic ballroom includes modern, renovated restrooms and is fully accessible. Linden Place is a non-smoking facility; smoking and vaping of any kind is not allowed on the grounds or in the buildings. Open flames are not allowed on the property or in the buildings.
Eligibility: Applicants located in the New England area are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to RI and southern Massachusetts vendors. We encourage applications from:
- Farmers, aquaculture, food producers, artisans from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut
- Nonprofit organizations that work within the immediate communities of the East Bay of Rhode Island and the South Coast of Massachusetts
Products must meet a quality level acceptable to the designated Friends of Linden Place representative, reflecting the freshness and overall high quality of the product. The representative may ask to have products removed by a vendor if they detract from the overall quality of the market and are thereby impacting other vendors’ sales.
Vendors must maintain all appropriate town and state licenses for their type of goods or food products, provide copies of these licenses to the Friends of Linden Place, and have copies at their vendor space at all times. All product labeling must be truthful and accurate and adhere to the requirements set forth by the State of Rhode Island. For full RIDOH guidelines for food prep and labeling, please consult RIDOH.
Every item for sale must be marked clearly with a price. Vendors must identify themselves by posting an easily read sign giving the name of the vendor’s business.
Any prepared or processed foods must be prepared in a RIDOH certification of the facility in which the product was prepared.
Non-Eligible Items:
- Imported, commercial, and mass-produced items
- Politically affiliated organizations or candidates
- Weapons of any kind, including knives and firearms
- Products from multi-level marketing (MLM) companies, networking companies, and direct marketing companies
- Corporate / Promotional can be considered in some cases as a sponsorship. Email us for more information.
Applications and Acceptance: Vendors will be accepted on a rolling basis, so we encourage early applications. We will provide complete logistics upon application acceptance. A $50 application fee must accompany all applications submitted after April 30th. Payment of all other fees is expected in accordance with the schedule outlined on the application.
Applications must be accompanied by up to three photos of your product and your current RI tax ID number and/or Food License number. Applications that do not include at least one of these numbers will not be considered. Linden Place does not provide temporary sales tax permits.
Please submit a product list with your application. This can be written in the product description or included as a separate attachment.
All applications are subject to approval by the leadership of Linden Place, and an application may be declined for any reason at the discretion of the leadership of Linden Place. This is a juried market and there is limited space. To ensure the best shopping and sales experience, Linden Place will limit the number of vendors for certain categories. If you wish to check if we are already at capacity for your product type, please contact us by email at cmassey@lindenplace.org before applying.
Vendors are only permitted to sell items included in their product description on the application. Subletting or sharing of spaces is not allowed.
Vendors will be notified of their acceptance no later than two weeks after their application date.
Market Fees and Schedule:
- Market application fee: $50
- Marketing fee: $25
- Vendor fee: $45 per market
Full-time vendors will be invoiced 2 times throughout the season: $293 before the first market, and $292 in early July. Invoices will be sent by email and may be paid with a credit card online by check made payable to “Friends of Linden Place.”
Part-time vendors can make their payments the day of the market via check made payable to “Friends of Linden Place,” cash, or beforehand with a credit card online.
The marketing fee is due upon acceptance to the market, payable within 5 business days with a credit card online or check made payable to “Friends of Linden Place.”
Checks can be mailed to:
Linden Place
Attn: Farmers’ Market
PO Box 328
Bristol, RI 02809
Market day timing:
- 2:30pm Vendor arrival and set up begins
- 3:30pm Market opens
- 7:00pm Market closes
- 8:00pm Market breakdown must be complete
Vendor Space Details: Each vendor space is 8’x8’ and can accommodate up to a 6’ table or display, allowing for a required 2’ egress. The 2’ egress is included in the space dimensions and must be kept clear for safety. Electricity is available if needed, but you must supply your own extension cords and surge protectors. Vendors are responsible for supplying their own tables, chairs, linens, and other display items. Nothing may be hung from or affixed to the walls. Any displays must be limited to the space allocated, with no elements posing tripping hazards for the public or encroaching on another vendor’s space.
All spaces will be assigned at the time of acceptance. Your assigned space will be communicated to you at least two weeks prior to the event. We cannot accommodate requests to change spaces after they have been assigned, but will do our best to accommodate specific requests if they are made at the time of application.
Set-up and Breakdown: Vendors can set up on the property from 2:30pm – 3:30pm on the day of the market. Please be ready for a prompt opening at 3:30pm. No vehicles are allowed on the Linden Place property and there is no reserved parking associated with Linden Place. Please place accordingly for carrying your items and displays onto the grounds and removing them at the end of the day. Parking is available on the surrounding streets and public lots, including the lot behind Colt School accessed from Central Street and Wardwell Street. Please note: during the few weeks when school is in session, parking will not be available in the Colt School lot. Vendors are encouraged to take note of parking restrictions and signage related to street parking.
All vendors must stay in place until 7pm. Leaving early will forfeit your involvement in future markets and events without refund of any pre-paid fees. Vendors will maintain a clean space and leave the space clean at the end of the day. Linden Place is a pack-in/pack-out facility; please plan to take any trash with you at the end of the day. All vendors must be broken down and off property by no later than 8:00pm.
WiFi: Linden Place has limited wifi capabilities and cannot guarantee a strong wifi connection. We suggest planning for cash/check sales, setting up a personal hotspot, and/or configuring your credit card payment processing device to run on a cell phone data connection or collect payments offline.
Refunds and Cancellations: All marketing and vendor fees are non-refundable. If you have signed up for a market and can no longer attend any of the dates you have signed up for, please let us know as soon as possible. Last-minute cancellations or no-shows will still be responsible for paying the market fee. Two or more missed markets will result in removal from the schedule. Anyone who withdraws from the market after the season has begun will not be refunded.
The Friends of Linden Place and their representatives have the authority to enforce market rules. Failure to comply with the rules outlined above may result in dismissal from the market without refund. Each case will be treated individually and, when possible, vendors will be given a warning and an opportunity to respond and correct before dismissal is enforced. Causes for dismissal include but are not limited to: product fraud, behavioral conflicts, waste-related problems, lack of appropriate licensure, noncompliance with RIDOH regulations.
Sales Tax: All vendors who are required to collect Rhode Island sales tax are responsible for obtaining their own sales tax permit, collection and reporting sales tax in accordance with Rhode Island state law.
Questions: Please call Linden Place at (401) 253-0390 or email info@lindenplace.org.
Linden Place is the only contact for this event and all communications will come by email from a lindenplace.org email address.