Friday, September 7, 2007
The Portland Public Market
There is a great need in Portland for a year round indoor public market. We are so blessed to have beautiful fresh produce, artisan bakeries and incredible restaurants in Portland, but one thing that is missing is a permanent public market to showcase our wonderful bounty. Right now there is a movement to bring a market to the Union Station downtown. This is the time that it really needs support in order to get off the ground. I would encourage all of you to check out their website and go to their upcoming events.
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2 comments:
"Need"? With New Seasons, Pastaworks, City Market, etc, and year-round markets, "need" seems like a strong word.
Plus, there's no guarantee that it will highlight the local bounty any more than Granville Island with its mangosteens and mangos highlights Vancouver's local bounty or Pike Place with its tuna and serrano ham highlights Seattle's bounty.
While I want one, it's not the same as a year round farmers market and can't ever be because it rains so much here.
There are a lot of reasons why I would love to see a public market. One of the main reasons is a public market does a great job of capturing the culture of a city. If you look at the public markets in Seattle, New York and London they are all very different. I see public markets more as ambassadors for the city rather than just a support system for local farmers.
A public market isn't going to replace our great network of farmers markets. I think it will only help draw more attention the quality products that are available at each of the neighborhood markets.
When you compare Portland to other great cities you notice that a good public market is a feature that Portland is missing. I think we need a public market to help foster and promote Portland’s food culture. Having a beautiful public market will help develop civic pride in supporting local purveyors of quality products, local products and artisan foods.
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