Updated Saturday AM:
It seems like the good folks over at the Portland Farmers Market have listened to some of the chat that came up after they announced the discontinuation of the Pearl market. From their press release:
Portland Farmers Market is pleased to announce the opening of two new farmers’ market locations for the 2010 season. Beginning this summer, we will launch farmers’ markets at both Pioneer Courthouse Square and NW 23rd Avenue. We are excited for the opportunity to provide Portland residents with increased access to farm-fresh produce from local farmers along with baked goods, meats, eggs, cheeses, seafood, flowers and more from our region’s many fine producers.
When Portland Farmers Market at PSU opens this season on Saturday, March 20th (the first day of Spring), shoppers will discover some changes. The Saturday PSU Market footprint will double in size and will now stretch from SW Montgomery Street to SW Hall Street. The expansion of our Saturday PSU Market location will allow for better foot traffic flow and hopefully make for an even more enjoyable shopping experience.
Portland Farmers Market aims to build a strong regional food system by ensuring that every city resident has access to high quality, nutritious, locally grown and produced food and appreciates its value in strengthening our local economy. We are three huge steps closer to realizing that goal by expanding our Saturday PSU market and opening these two new locations in two of the most vibrant, visited areas of the city.
More than 450 farmers and food artisans have applied to become vendors at Portland Farmers Market’s six farmers’ market locations for the 2010 season. It is certain to be another exceptional season and we would like to thank all of our dedicated shoppers for supporting our local farmers and food producers.
Here is some more specific information:
Portland’s Living Room Will Become Portland’s Kitchen and Dining Room
Starting the first day of summer, the Rose City’s living room will transform into Portland Farmers Market at Pioneer Courthouse Square, made possible by Portland’s own Alpha Broadcasting. Every Monday from June 21 to October 25, 2010, more than 32 local farmers and food artisans will take root in the heart of downtown Portland from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The more than 26,000 people passing by the Square every Monday will be able enjoy lunch and shop for dinner for 19 consecutive weeks.
“The Square is recognized as the most visited site in Oregon’s most visited city and the ideal community gathering place. It’s the perfect location for a farmers market!” added Forsthoefel.
Location, Location, Location: NW 23rd Avenue
Noted as one of the prime retail locations in the city, Portland Farmers Market will also open the Portland Farmers Market at NW 23rd Avenue, on the northwest corner of NW 23rd Avenue and NW Savier Street in a lot generously donated by Con-way Inc. Portland Farmers Market is currently working with the NW Portland community to determine the ideal day and time for this new market. Neighborhood residents will find the bounty of the region right at their doorsteps from June through September.
Forsthoefel shared, “The support and enthusiasm we have received from the NW community has been tremendous. We are delighted to collaborate with Con-way Inc. in order to bring fresh food to this vibrant area of NW Portland that clearly values the importance of supporting local farmers and food artisans.”
The new locations add to Portland Farmers Market’s three other weekly locations:
- Portland Farmers Market – Wednesday at Shemanski Park, located in the South Park Blocks between SW Park and Salmon
- Portland Farmers Market – Sunday at King Elementary School
- Portland Farmers Market – Thursday at Hinson Church (formerly called Eastbank).
lets hope with a 100% larger footprint, we don’t get 100% more strollers.
Heaven forbid parents take their kids to an organic farmers market. Maybe you should lighten up and be thankful that parents want to expose their kids to the market. Maybe with a 100% larger footprint we won’t have 100% more obnoxious jackasses.
if you are going to be self-righteous about “exposing kids to produce”, at least get a nice little umbrella stroller and leave the SUV one with all wheel drive at home.
Nah, I think I’ll still bring the Hummer down. Maybe park in a handicapped spot.
Make the kids walk at the Market and leave the strollers at home.
They will get exercise, behave better because they aren’t sitting on their butts all day and they’ll actually eat vegetables because they are hungry.
We all win.
…plus you won’t be cultivating sedentary fatties of the future, replete with diabetes and heart disease. When I was a kid, obese kids were rare. Now they are the norm.
Get out of bed earlier and you’ll find almost no strollers before 9:30. I’m just glad the doggies greeting doggies with owners blithely stretching leashes to block aisles are gone. The expansion is great, I’m there every week I’m in town.
I’m stoked about the expansion. Not at all worried about the SUV/stollers, as I am there at the 8:30 opening bell.
Not crazy about a summer Pio Square mid-day market. The unshaded heat will ruin product still sitting after 11:30 am.
The same thing about Pioneer Square occurred to me. Hot bricks, no shade. I suppose they will get people off of Max, but I’m not all that thrilled about the location.
I think the NW 23 and NW Savier must be on the SE corner – isn’t Besaws on the NW corner?
Sorry, I meant to say, I think the Farmers’ Market at NW 23 and NW Savier must be on the SE corner – isn’t Besaws on the NW corner?
It is the SE corner. I was trying to figure it out myself when this came out the other day and drove past there on my way home. There is a decent sized parking lot there.
My understanding is that as it became apparent the EcoTrust location wasn’t going to work out, the PFM folks started looking at other locations in NW. (They certainly weren’t discouraged by the discussion that ensued post-closing, but that’s not what started the search.)
There were also other local farmers’ markets looking at the possibility of opening branches in NW, so that may have speeded the process along.
The open grassy area where the semi vacant Encore Condo development (north end of the Pearl) would have been a nice spot. The problem with the Pearl farmers market was the hot parking lot and time of day. Some days it was just too hot w/o shade. The Wednesday and Sat. markets are so terrific. We are so fortunate.
I do like kids in back packs instead of strollers. I have been knocked a few times in the shins. Laughing children playing and enjoying themselves is all part of the vibe.
I am especially grateful not to see dogs (fighting) anymore.
Come on about the strollers. We are all there to enjoy the market. Just chill out and relax. Why have a nasty attitude? It is busy and you just have to accept that and take it for what it is. Go slow, smell the flowers and eat good food. The kids are part of the beautiful picture there. Strollers are very handy for carrying bags of the wonderful goodies and for keeping kids happy. We do much of our weeky grocery shopping there and trying to carry all that and a two year old and a baby is not an easy task. A newborn is one thing as is a 4 year old, but the ones in the middle can get blitzed out and they can take a break and allow their mom or dad to continue taking their time and flow slowly and unstressfully through the market with everyone else. Take a look at those with the strollers and I bet the majority of them are either on their own with the kids, are pregnant, have another child, or have a heavy load of groceries.
honest question here, but why would someone’s reason for having a stroller change the fact that they harm everyone else’s enjoyment of the market? Isn’t that why they banned dogs? I mean, if I can’t bring my dog because it creates too many problems for others(to which I agree, they did.) then why should strollers be tolerated? Again, honest question.
Do stroller’s really harm everyone else’s enjoyment of the market? They’ve never bothered me that much. Still, I understand that bitching about kids is part of your online schtick, so carry on…
Not schtick, and I do it in real life, so there is that. Anyways, to answer your question, yes they do. When they block my path, run into the back of my ankles, get used a lever to get to the front of a stand, etc. Then they are harshing my mellow, as it would be. Now I understand that you probably have kids and feel entitled by that, so carry on….
No, no kids for me. I’ve just never found the strollers at the market to be all that bothersome. Talk about a first world problem…
Having raised 3 kids (youngest turns 21 next week), I’ve now seen both sides of the coin. And, I gotta say that the Market is just too crowded with humanity to bring anything but a small umbrella stroller — and then only if you really can’t leave your toddler at home with spouse/SO/grandma/whatever. I think it is ridiculous for people to bring those humongous “cadillac” strollers to a very crowded venue and just barrel into people. And I am one of those people that has been run into. Come on, folks, have some empathy for the ankles and shins of others. Take the kiddies to New Seasons for your organic veggies where you can load them into a shopping cart and not make a challenging experience even more so. I now have two small grandkids and I would not even think of taking them there until they can both walk it.
Well said.