New farmers market in downtown Houston
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The square can have approximately 50 vendors. Photo: Courtesy of Downtown District
A new farmers market is opening in downtown Houston.
Driving the news: Downtown District and Central City Co-Op are piloting a weekly Saturday farmers market starting Saturday and running through Nov. 18 at Market Square Park.
Why it matters: The Market Square Park Farmers Market brings fresh produce to the neighborhood, and it also aligns with the push to increase foot traffic in downtown, which has still not reached 2019 levels.
What they're saying: "We continue to make downtown an attractive place to live and a place where people want to be or even want to spend their weekends. This is definitely going to help to support that additional goal of growing overall foot traffic," Kris Larson, president and CEO of Downtown District, tells Axios.
The intrigue: In the 1800s, Market Square Park was the site for City Hall, commerce and civic activity. There also used to be an open-air produce and fish market.
- "In some ways, we are sort of turning a page back in time and revisiting that historical legacy of the space for Houston, but we're doing it now in a modern context," Larson says.
Details: The Market Square Park Farmers Market already has 20 vendors, including the Blackwood Educational Land Institute, Uncommon Bees and Jolly Farms Chickens.
- The goal is to have a produce-first market from growers within 100 miles of downtown, per Larson.
- The market will also have live music, and SNAP EBT will be accepted.
Of note: Brookfield Properties also has a biweekly farmers market at the Allen Center on Wednesdays, but Larson notes that market is more for commuters and office employees while the Market Square Park location will be for the neighborhood and will center around fresh produce.
Between the lines: Saturday mornings are a popular time for farmers markets, so there is competition, and the fall farmers market will be a pilot to see how successful the new market can be.
If you go: The market will be open from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays through Nov. 18.