Portland Public Market - Why, What, Who

September 8, 2004

Why build a Public Market?

Successful Public Markets define and nourish a city's soul. Certainly Portland is not without a soul but we have a missing link between this most European of Western cities and the bounty of its nearby agriculture. A connection is forged when urban shoppers know the source of their food supply and come together to celebrate the simple, edible transactions of daily life

Many cities across our country and around the world have thriving public markets. Portland's long history of public markets began in 1870 but the city now has been without a central market for two generations. Reestablishing a public market can improve the quality of life in Portland and the surrounding region.

A public market is not a farmers market, though they have many things in common; a farmers market is seasonal, while a public market is permanent and year-round; both focus on fresh foods but a public market may also offer a wider range of prepared local foods and restaurants; and a permanent public market can showcase local agriculture for residents and tourists seven days a week. Regional farmers markets and the proposed Portland Public Market are all necessary components of a healthy, sustainable food delivery system for the region.

The Portland Public Market will include a rich and colorful array of stalls featuring fresh produce, local dairy products, artisan cheeses, local fish, meats and game, fresh cut flowers and value-added products from pâtes to pastries. A working winery in the lower level will accent the connection between Portland and nearby wine-making areas. The Market will also offer classes by local chefs and nutritionists for children and adults stressing the value of using ingredients from the local foodshed. Customers from all income levels, from every ethnic group and from every part of the city will find top quality foods sold by authentic, locally owned small businesses.

Most Portlanders today would find it hard to imagine the city without its "living room," Pioneer Courthouse Square. Future Portlanders will find it equally hard to imagine how Portland ever got by without the envisioned Public Market, the city's "kitchen and pantry."

Where will the money come from to build and operate the Market?

A combination of public and private funding will be necessary to build Portland's Public Market. So far, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development have joined the City and the Portland Development Commission to fund feasibility studies. The non-profit Historic Portland Public Market Foundation has raised significant funds through various benefit events and will embark on an aggressive capital campaign as soon as a site is secured.

When it is open for business, the Public Market will receive most of its operational funding from vendor fees and rentals but will also require ongoing support from the community.

How can I help?

Please visit the Market's website and provide your contact information so the Market's volunteers can keep you informed about its progress. From time to time the need to write letters and/or testify at public meetings in support of the Market may be requested. And, as always, your generous tax-deductible donations - small and large - are most welcome. Please make your check payable to the "Historic Portland Public Market Foundation" and mail it to:

Historic Portland Public Market Foundation
P.O. Box 511
Portland, OR 97207

WHY Portland needs a public market, WHAT will it provide, WHO will use it, WHO will benefit?

The Portland Public Market would:

• animate its neighborhood

• provide unique, high-quality shopping for nearby residents, and spur the development of additional housing nearby

• draw shoppers from all over the region to the neighborhood on a regular basis

• encourage the growth of small agricultural businesses

• generate profits for developers of the Market and for businesses which lease space there

• make top-quality produce, meals, fish, spices, and artisan-produced foods available year-round

• serve as a community educational resource to teach Portland about our agricultural heritage and the wisdom of sustainable farming/gardening.

• create a community resource that is welcoming to people of all income levels

• draw national attention to Portland in the fields of urban planning, architecture, agriculture, small business, tourism, food and wine.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market and Vancouver, B.C.'s, Granville Island Public Market provide valuable models for the Portland Public Market. The mainstay of a market’s success is local residents, who value high-quality merchandise, excellent customer service and multiple, pleasant social interactions.

The increasingly popular Portland Farmers Market, founded in 1992, shows the depth of urban consumer interest in buying direct from farmers. It is open twice a week in two successful downtown locations. The solid, long-term success of markets in Beaverton, Gresham and Vancouver also demonstrate the region’s strong farm-to-market culture.

Quality, choice and competition are the essential factors in attracting local residents to a market. The utmost care should be taken to avoid over-familiar national chains, second-rate fast food, cheesy T-shirt shops, and anything else that makes the market resemble a shopping mall or a tourist trap. (Do Bostonians go to Faneuil Hall, or New Yorkers to South Street Seaport?) Ideally, all tenants would be one-of-a-kind, or at least small local “chains” (i.e. Pastaworks, Coffee People, Newman’s), devoted to quality and that have a following here.

It is important to remember that a public market is not merely a boutique for the well-to-do. If well served by public transit and an advantageous location, it can be an important health resource for low-income people who cannot travel to farm stands in the country. In season, locally grown farm produce compares favorably in price with supermarket offerings, yet far outshines the competition in taste and quality. In addition to the opportunities to provide healthier, higher-quality food for a reasonable price, the Market can serve as an educational resource on promoting healthier diets for families and nursing mothers, serve as an incubator for microenterprises and provide meaningful skill development for the unemployed. The creation of a Public Market will be an opportunity for fresh food, business growth and creative ideas for all Portland residents. In Seattle, the Pike Place Market Foundation funds a coupon program allowing low-income residents to purchase directly from the market farmers, and surplus food goes daily to a food bank.

A public market with high-quality tenants and strong local appeal draws large numbers of tourists. Pike Place welcomes nine million visitors a year, and Granville Island has become one of Vancouver's most popular tourist stops, even with little direct promotion on the market's part.