This Week in the Mercury

Tom Bissell Writes What He Wants

Books

Tom Bissell Writes What He Wants

Magic Hours: Essays on Creators and Creation Is a Book of Essays About Things!


A Field Guide to Portland Canvassers

Feature

A Field Guide to Portland Canvassers

How to Spot and Identify Donation Gatherers in the Wild



  |  

Friday, July 9, 2010

Neighborhoods There's a New Market in Town

Posted by Sarah Hardy on Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 1:45 PM

Portland's newest outdoor market will open next week in the Boise-Eliot neighborhood on a plot of land that's been a vacant eyesore for years.

The new Boise-Eliot market is the brainchild of stonemason Spencer Burton who ran for Dan Saltzman's seat for Portland city council in November. Though the bid for city council flopped, Burton and the NE Coalition of Neighborhoods did succeed in a different project: securing a plot of land for a farmer's market in his neck of the woods.

Five weeks ago, the owner of the vacant lot on the corner of North Williams and Fremont offered up his land for a twice-weekly neighborhood market that has about 30 businesses signed up to sell goods so far, including Martini Farms, Canby Asparagus Farm and Portland Organic Garden. Burton hopes to sign up 20 more businesses before the market opens next weekend, July 17.

This isn't one of the official city farmer's markets and it's been a little bumpy organizing a market from scratch, says Burton.

"People can't believe there's nothing there," Burton said about the area's empty lots, many of which are scars from the early 1970s when Emanuel hospital razed 20 businesses in the area to make way for an expansion (which then never materialized).

Opening a market will "help the area as a new commercial hub," Burton says. He hopes people who don't have enough money for a storefront for a business can sell their goods at the lot.


During the summer the market will run twice a week on Tuesdays from 3-7p.m. and Saturdays from 9-1p.m.

 

Comments (2) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment
1
FYI, it is impossible to have a certified organic urban garden due to the requirement for buffer zones and more requirements. While I sympathize that this is a stupid rule, I don't sympathize with selling veggies that are held out as organic when you have no certification. So, Portland organic gardens, You can't sell veggies under that name because you're not certified.
Posted by Killjoy on July 9, 2010 at 8:23 PM · Report
2
I read the article linked above, in blue, about urban renewal in Portland over the last several decades. It was enlightening! My great grandparents used to run a business where this new farmer's market is going to take place. That part of my family died, or moved away, until recently. Now we are coming back, because Portland is an city filled with intelligent, compassionate, and involved people who have been able to make a difference in how their city has developed....unlike most cities in the USA.
As for the veggies not being organic, why not just advertise them as locally grown produce without pesticides, and feel good about supporting your own community? Farmer's can provide healthy alternatives to produce that is not greenly delivered and other produce that comes from places unknown, grown with who knows what. Instead of belly aching, why not come up with an alternative way of labeling this produce that is in between conventional and organic and find a creative solution to this dilemma?
Posted by wanna be portlander on July 10, 2010 at 12:30 AM · Report

Add a comment

Our Friends

Our Enemies

/images/adoftheweek.gif

ad of the day

The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.go


post an ad

All contents © Index Newspapers, LLC

115 SW Ash St. Suite 600
Portland, OR 97204

Contact Info | Privacy Policy | Production Guidelines | Terms of Use