There is a larger city farmer's market 25 min. from us (Alexandria, Va.) but I never go there because is it open Sat. from like 5:30 a.m. til 10 a.m. and I can never get there by 10. They close too early.

I really enjoy our more local market
in Burke, Va. It is open Sat. from May 1 til end of Oct., 8 a.m. til noon in a commuter's railway parking lot. What makes it so great is the variety of items (produce from MD and W VA as well as VA), a flower market and several plant stands to buy yard plants, an herb garden stand, plus a great community "green thumb" table where you can bring your gardening problems, problems plant samples, etc. and they help you, several great bread stands, preserves and honeys, and more). Even more important is the sense of community there. Everyone is nice and positive and since I shop there every Sat. we know each other. They have alot of samples which the kids really like. The booth where I buy preserves is also the booth where I buy 4 cases of preserves at the end of Oct. to use as Christmas presents, and the incredible flavored bread lady (pumpkin, lemon blueberry, choclate zucchini, etc.) sells me bags of her bread mixes to go along w/all those Christmas preserves. It is a wonderful sense of community after a week of living and working in one of the most densely populated areas of the U.S.
No music or pony rides, but I wouldn't miss don't miss that Sat. market unless there is a really good reason.

Hey wliwl

Of places I've been, Baltimore has some of the most interesting indoor markets I've seen anywhere. Lexington Market, Cross Street Market are among the most vibrant (although there are others too with similar idea but on a smaller scale such as Broadway and Northeast Market); they have a working-class uniquely Bawlmer vibe. There's a seafood bar there; on Saturdays, there's entertainment in the central plaza of Lexington Market... I saw some great Caribbean tin-drum players there once.

Reading Terminal Market Philadelphia as mentioned before is exceptional as well; I find more upscale than its Baltimore sisters, but again unique with Amish stands.

If you had investigated these, it might be interesting to cross the border and see a different model of market at the Marché Jean Talon in Montréal; more French (and I'm talking France here) in style, it's redolent with flowers and odors of locally-grown fruits and vegetables. A marked difference from the U.S. markets I mentioned is that the relative absence of "heavy-greasy fast-food" options and is instead largely the domain of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, meat.

I think it would be fascinating to take a road trip and see all the fantastic diversity there is in North American markets.

DAN

wliwl, I like your style, I share your passion for outdoor markets and you're asking the right questions. I've visited these markets all over the place; from Europe to South America and Asia. The question of what makes them tick is a really important one to try to answer and I don't think there is a single template that can be applied universally.

A really good resource as a starting point is the Project for Public Spaces website:

http://www.pps.org/PublicMarkets/

They offer a book entitled "Public Markets and Community Revitalization" that was prepared in cooperation with the Urban Land Institute that I think you'll find helpful.

There is a two-day course that PPS has helped put on in cooperation with the NeighborWorks organization. I took it a couple of summers ago in New Orleans and it's great. The course isn't offered at all of the Neighborworks training institutes, but you can gain a little more insight into that group at their website:

www.nw.org

Drill into the training portion of the site to view upcoming opportunities. Feel free to contact me at the following "disguised" e-mail address (trying to prevent dataminers/spam):

Standby4321 ---> @ <---- yahoo.com

We launched one modestly last year and I can send you some info on what was involved, etc. A very good market in a northern climate that is well-integrated into its downtown surroundings is the Byward Market in Ottawa, ON which is probably not TOOOO far from you.

Good luck on a very worthwhile project!

While a solid public market will not negate the need to do many others things right in the area of community economic development, it can help build an environment and synergy in your community that will help other efforts succeed, too.

Daniel, your description of the Marché Jean Talon sounds exactly like our farmer's markets here in California. No vendors selling funnel cakes and corn dogs-- although we do have a crêpe stand every couple of weeks--; the air smells of fresh-cut flowers, cilantro, basil, and right now seasonal produce like strawberries, green garlic, etc. On a sunny day, there isn't anywhere better on earth.

Of the four best I've spent time in, I'd rank them:
1) Pike Place, Seattle -- no contest on seafood and location.
2) Lexington in Balto.
3) Reading in Philadelphia.
4) Eastern in DC.

I live in Seattle and during the summer you can visit a farmers market almost every day. Different neighborhoods host them on certain days of the week. http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/
Then small towns out of the city have them as well.
http://www.wafarmersmarkets.com/
This is my favorite thing in the summer. There is produce, organic meat/seafood, flowers, baked goods, and sometimes crafts depending on the market. As to who goes I see all kinds. It's a great outing. My favorite is the Ballard one on Sundays. I grab a crepe and coffee and shop all the wonderful produce!
Good luck with yours.

Vancouver B.C. has a terrific public
market on Granville Island - near the
centre of the city.

http://www.granvilleisland.com/en/publicmarket

llamalady, I couldn't agree more. Granville Island is among the best.

Since you are in Rochester, NY, maybe an indoor market would work better. It could be year round and not just seasonal.

If it were made to be a very vibrant place, like the Ferry Building in San Francisco, it could be every day, all day, all year round. The Ferry Building also has an outdoor market on certain days, and, recently, there was a special trinkets, drawings, etc. - ie, non-food items - outdoor market.

It could become the social place for the town, the way the old village square used to be, especially in Europe. (Maybe you could even put a fountain in the middle of the building - just kidding. :) )

Detroit, Michigan also has a fantastic Farmer's Market (Eastern Market) that is open year round, every day except for Sundays (I think). Saturday mornings are the biggest, and have many of the "draws" others were talking about: a couple of great breakfast joints, tons of produce, eggs, honey, dairy, spices, mushrooms, and tons of flowers and plants. As a child, I remember going and begging for a rabbit...it was years later that my father finally explained those rabbits weren't pets...they were for eating. Still surprised I'm a meat eater to this day.