I read online yesterday at the Boston Globe that a daily public market is going to be developed here in Boston. That's a great idea, and I think will bring further vitality back to the Downtown Boston area. Already a jewel of a city, Boston with its historical buildings, open spaces and active sporting culture could do with a vibrant marketplace.
Six years ago I moved to Boston from Seattle. Famous for the Pike's Place market, Seattle retained its daily public market right in the heart of the city. Pike's place was always one of my favorite spots to visit in the city of Seattle, and the market was a big tourist attraction.
Seattle’s market was one reason I was surprised to see the public market in Boston relegated to the weekend, pushed down a side street and only consisting of street vendors. While I understand it is not possible to take over the old market halls, the idea of re-establishing a daily market makes a lot of sense to me, and the establishment of the greenway gives the city of Boston the opportunity to bring back a lost daily institution.
I did not grow up with a market in my village in the UK, Bramhall, a village of 60,000 people is a suburb of Stockport, and the far larger metropolitan area of Greater Manchester. The nearest market was in the Stockport, where the public market has medieval beginnings.
My college town had one of the largest covered markets in Europe. The market at Leicester is spectacular, over 700 hundred years old, many, many food vendors, a covered outdoor area, and covered indoor market space. I used to buy food every day from Leicester market when I travelled home at night. The market also helped to develop my love for Leicester cheese, as the indoor market has half a dozen cheese vendors.
Another market I enjoyed when I lived in Seattle was on Granville Island in Vancouver, British Columbia, that market has a lot of deli's, small bakeries and cheese shops. The French bakeries are amazing.
Two factors stand out for me in building a successful daily market:
Variety - Lots of food vendors, but a mixture of household goods and unique shops. Granville & Pike's place score highly in my book for variety, and Leicester managed to combine food vendors with cloth and china stalls.
Character - Color and sound are what I recall of Leicester's market; vendor's shout out the price of produce. Pike Place in Seattle features flying fish. If Boston can research what makes a successful market, and gives tips to the new producers. For instance, ask the vendors to call out the prices of their wares, I used to visit the market in Leicester just for the sounds of the calls I think Boston will go a long way to building a successful daily market.
I was also thinking that as this new Boston market is founded in the 21st century, perhaps the market should use some social media tools to promote the market, from feedback from the public on the market, to encouraging people to connect via social media when the market is established, I am sure there are many ways the market will use some new social media tools to become successful.
What about you, do you have a favorite daily, or farmer’s market, and what got you coming back for more business?
