Soulard Farmers Market

ebo · PostJul 14, 2020#512020-07-14T20:38+00:00

There have been 3 or 4 different bars/restaurants that have tried and failed to make a go of it in the old Franklin's location. I'm not sure if it is something about the space itself or the tenants who have tried to make it work, but it has only gotten more crowded in that area with the Epic/Itap/Mission Taco building fully occupied.

I think the field will remain a field because it is used as an event space as somebody mentioned upthread, but they could sure use some more outdoor seating. The area between the plaza and field at least has some shade, it wouldn't be a bad spot for some sort of (semi)permanent seating.

addxb2 · PostJul 06, 2021#522021-07-06T20:34+00:00

My idea for expansion (I have no reason to believe they’re looking to expand) … I prefer they focus on creating a capital improvement and maintenance plan to keep the current market standing.

Across Broadway, a new hall. I think the new hall could allow for slightly larger stalls in the original market while still adding new stalls. Focus on improving Broadway for pedestrians to cross both halls.

To the north, a market square or forum. The center would be open to air with a covered parameter (thinking brick archways and columns around)

SeattleNative · PostJul 06, 2021#532021-07-06T20:48+00:00

addxb2 wrote:My idea for expansion (I have no reason to believe they’re looking to expand) … I prefer they focus on creating a capital improvement and maintenance plan to keep the current market standing.

Across Broadway, a new hall. I think the new hall could allow for slightly larger stalls in the original market while still adding new stalls. Focus on improving Broadway for pedestrians to cross both halls.

To the north, a market square or forum. The center would be open to air with a covered parameter (thinking brick archways and columns around)

Yes please!

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GoHarvOrGoHome · PostJul 06, 2021#542021-07-06T22:19+00:00

I would be thrilled if they could just do basic maintenance on the existing structure. The market could be a crown jewel level attraction in STL with just a little investment.

The KC farmers market is clean and modern and look what it's done to the surrounding neighborhood.

To add on to your idea I would love to see the western rectangle of Soulard Park filled with long picnic tables and turned into a traditional beirgarten operated by a local brewery with spots for food truck parking.

chris fuller · PostJul 06, 2021#552021-07-06T23:24+00:00

cut it in half or by two thirds

chriss752 · PostJul 07, 2021#562021-07-07T02:06+00:00

A couple of years ago, the idea was on the table to overhaul Soulard Market and expand it linearly. Clearly though, that couldn't be done because of existing buildings. So the idea to expand was shelved. I think an expansion that replaces Soulard Market Park would be a great option. It would keep that parking lot open for redevelopment in the future. But for now, Soulard Market needs a good cleaning.

aprice · PostJul 07, 2021#572021-07-07T14:05+00:00

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑
Jul 06, 2021
I would be thrilled if they could just do basic maintenance on the existing structure. The market could be a crown jewel level attraction in STL with just a little investment.

Really though. I've heard that the tenants are opposed to any renovations? Although Harv used the perfect word here "maintenance", which the building lacks, not renovation.

KC and Cincinnati are pretty high quality experiences compared to Soulard. Even though KC has a fraction of the operating time an Cincy's is much smaller. Both feature a wider variety of prepared foods have a decent selection of restaurants. Grand Central Market in LA and Reading Terminal Market in Philly were both historic markets that slowly increased the presence of restaurants becoming something more like the Foundry Food Hall.

Push out some of those booths selling $5 chinese sunglasses and bring in more street food. Preferably keeping one wing open into the evening, making use of the relatively massive parking lot across 7th.

wabash · PostJul 07, 2021#582021-07-07T14:11+00:00

addxb2 wrote: ↑
Jul 06, 2021
My idea for expansion

That portion along the east side of S 7th is a great idea. That would really help bridge the divide between Soulard and Kosciusko. Really anything to infill that string of parking lots would be a huge improvement.

addxb2 · PostJul 07, 2021#592021-07-07T14:44+00:00

So who oversees Soulard Market? Is there an entity that is responsible for developing a framework for the future?

A Forest Park Forever org would be great.

aprice · PostJul 07, 2021#602021-07-07T15:01+00:00

It's owned by the city, correct? I'd say this is more of a Soldiers Memorial situation.

soulardx · PostJul 07, 2021#612021-07-07T15:13+00:00

It seems we're all on the same page here - just spruce it up! - but I'll still re-iterate my point I've been hammering for years.

Soulard Market needs nothing more than a (regular) deep cleaning, paint, minor repairs and upgraded refrigeration.

Each Saturday, ALL swaths of St. Louis enjoy the market. Without a doubt, it's one of the most diverse places in the region.

Doing anything more than those minorish upgrades would be a huge disservice to what the Market offers now, has offered and should offer.

Don't change a damn thing at all.

sc4mayor · PostJul 07, 2021#622021-07-07T15:16+00:00

I do believe it is owned and operated by the city. Bob Ray is the manager...he might be a good place to start at least kicking some ideas around.

But some sort of a foundation would be the best way to get something like this plan from @addxb2 done. Expanding the market across 7th and building an open air pavilion of sorts where people could just kind of mill about are both fantastic ideas. Maybe some sort of a Soulard Market Foundation needs to be created and then could attempt to privately raise funds? I imagine there are some well heeled folks in St. Louis that would be willing to preserve and secure the future of Soulard Market. It's been operating since 1779, after all.

dbInSouthCity · PostJul 07, 2021#632021-07-07T15:41+00:00

It doesn’t need to expand. It needs to innovate but not too much tho. Bring in food stalls from Gerard Craft, Balkan Treat Box and the like, get a few micro brewers in the mix and make it a place to get drinks and eat and maybe buy some vegetables

framer · PostJul 07, 2021#642021-07-07T18:50+00:00

For those who may not know, Bob Ray was the long-time owner/manager of the Washington Ave. Post. Really good guy who loves the City.

bwcrow1s · PostJul 07, 2021#652021-07-07T19:01+00:00

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
It doesn’t need to expand. It needs to innovate but not too much tho. Bring in food stalls from Gerard Craft, Balkan Treat Box and the like, get a few micro brewers in the mix and make it a place to get drinks and eat and maybe buy some vegetables

All great ideas posed here and in this thread. But I don't think farmer's market is the place for Gerard Craft. Whomever is tapped to put a new coat of paint on the place needs to encourage affordable stalls and culinary hookups to where it's accessible for new restauranteurs and chefs.

Kinda like an organic Foundry. But without hundreds of millions of dollars and actual connectivity to the neighborhood. And feels like more of an authentic St. Louis experience rather than a rehash of the same bland thing done in other cities.

addxb2 · PostJul 07, 2021#662021-07-07T21:21+00:00

Fantastic timing. City outlines about $7m in Soulard Market improvements. Fingers crossed this money is found!

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... needs.html

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dbInSouthCity · PostJul 07, 2021#672021-07-07T21:25+00:00

bwcrow1s wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
It doesn’t need to expand. It needs to innovate but not too much tho. Bring in food stalls from Gerard Craft, Balkan Treat Box and the like, get a few micro brewers in the mix and make it a place to get drinks and eat and maybe buy some vegetables
All great ideas posed here and in this thread. But I don't think farmer's market is the place for Gerard Craft. Whomever is tapped to put a new coat of paint on the place needs to encourage affordable stalls and culinary hookups to where it's accessible for new restauranteurs and chefs.

Kinda like an organic Foundry. But without hundreds of millions of dollars and actual connectivity to the neighborhood. And feels like more of an authentic St. Louis experience rather than a rehash of the same bland thing done in other cities.

I think you have to bring it to 2021 with big names to bring people back and to bring the next generation. You need chefs like Craft to do that but the feel and the look is still the same

throatybeard · PostJul 07, 2021#682021-07-07T21:53+00:00

soulardx wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
It seems we're all on the same page here - just spruce it up! - but I'll still re-iterate my point I've been hammering for years.

Soulard Market needs nothing more than a (regular) deep cleaning, paint, minor repairs and upgraded refrigeration.

Each Saturday, ALL swaths of St. Louis enjoy the market. Without a doubt, it's one of the most diverse places in the region.

Doing anything more than those minorish upgrades would be a huge disservice to what the Market offers now, has offered and should offer.

Don't change a damn thing at all.

I'm inclined to agree, except that a lot of these other historic markets people are mentioning are open a lot more. I stay in Over the Rhine all the time, and I can count on Findlay being there. But Soulard is almost entirely a Saturday thing.

SeattleNative · PostJul 07, 2021#692021-07-07T23:21+00:00

throatybeard wrote:
soulardx wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
It seems we're all on the same page here - just spruce it up! - but I'll still re-iterate my point I've been hammering for years.

Soulard Market needs nothing more than a (regular) deep cleaning, paint, minor repairs and upgraded refrigeration.

Each Saturday, ALL swaths of St. Louis enjoy the market. Without a doubt, it's one of the most diverse places in the region.

Doing anything more than those minorish upgrades would be a huge disservice to what the Market offers now, has offered and should offer.

Don't change a damn thing at all.
I'm inclined to agree, except that a lot of these other historic markets people are mentioning are open a lot more. I stay in Over the Rhine all the time, and I can count on Findlay being there. But Soulard is almost entirely a Saturday thing.

Yeah it really should be open 7 days a week.

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urbanitas · PostJul 07, 2021#702021-07-07T23:41+00:00

chriss752 wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
A couple of years ago, the idea was on the table to overhaul Soulard Market and expand it linearly. Clearly though, that couldn't be done because of existing buildings. So the idea to expand was shelved. I think an expansion that replaces Soulard Market Park would be a great option. It would keep that parking lot open for redevelopment in the future. But for now, Soulard Market needs a good cleaning.

As do some of the vendors...

soulardx · PostJul 08, 2021#712021-07-08T00:40+00:00

bwcrow1s wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
It doesn’t need to expand. It needs to innovate but not too much tho. Bring in food stalls from Gerard Craft, Balkan Treat Box and the like, get a few micro brewers in the mix and make it a place to get drinks and eat and maybe buy some vegetables
All great ideas posed here and in this thread. But I don't think farmer's market is the place for Gerard Craft. Whomever is tapped to put a new coat of paint on the place needs to encourage affordable stalls and culinary hookups to where it's accessible for new restauranteurs and chefs.

Kinda like an organic Foundry. But without hundreds of millions of dollars and actual connectivity to the neighborhood. And feels like more of an authentic St. Louis experience rather than a rehash of the same bland thing done in other cities.

Agree.

Adding a Gerard Craft-branded element in any large way is the kind of thing that would very specifically cater to the foodie/yuppie crowd. That’s just not what Soulard Market is, nor what (I think) it should be.

On summer Saturdays, Soulard Market’s clientele is 75% working class buying everyday staples, 15% tourists from the regional suburbs just strolling through drinking a Busch/Bloody Mary and 10% whatever.

Soulard Market doesn’t even have a large niche, “farmers” market aspect right now. There's a lot of produce resellers. (Maybe too many!) I’m fine with that.

Clean it up, literally. That’s it

In a closing note, how many more Gerard Craft-branded things can exist? He’s got his many restaurants, whatever he’s doing at The Foundry and whatever he’s doing with the MLS team. Truly love the dude (Brasserie is my favorite local restaurant) and what’s he’s brought to STL, but he’s close to being over-extended.

imran · PostJul 08, 2021#722021-07-08T01:01+00:00

Soulard market is undeniably charming and authentic. I go there for the experience as much as anything else. Just needs TLC without anything that calls itself ‘transformational’

sc4mayor · PostJul 08, 2021#732021-07-08T01:26+00:00

I’m perfectly fine with the $7 million in needed improvements. I do like addxb2’s ideas…and I think most of you do too. I can’t speak for him (or her) but expanding the market across 7th seems like a no brainer to me. I’m not saying it should be set up like the historic market across the street…but set it up for easy pop up restaurants and food trucks. That adds a whole other dimension to the area. Easy connections for folks that wanna bring their talents to Soulard for a weekend but may not want to permanently rent out a space at the market.

bwcrow1s · PostJul 08, 2021#742021-07-08T13:23+00:00

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
bwcrow1s wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑
Jul 07, 2021
It doesn’t need to expand. It needs to innovate but not too much tho. Bring in food stalls from Gerard Craft, Balkan Treat Box and the like, get a few micro brewers in the mix and make it a place to get drinks and eat and maybe buy some vegetables
All great ideas posed here and in this thread. But I don't think farmer's market is the place for Gerard Craft. Whomever is tapped to put a new coat of paint on the place needs to encourage affordable stalls and culinary hookups to where it's accessible for new restauranteurs and chefs.

Kinda like an organic Foundry. But without hundreds of millions of dollars and actual connectivity to the neighborhood. And feels like more of an authentic St. Louis experience rather than a rehash of the same bland thing done in other cities.
I think you have to bring it to 2021 with big names to bring people back and to bring the next generation. You need chefs like Craft to do that but the feel and the look is still the same

People already have social media, where the buzz flows. You don't really need name notoriety.. half of the newest good food options to come out the last year are coming out of ghost kitchens and people's homes and buzz like crazy. Add some cheap guerrilla marketing and you have people lining out the door.

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostJul 08, 2021#752021-07-08T13:39+00:00

Master plan from a 10 year old STL Post Dispatch article:

The master plan for Soulard Market proposes spending as much as $14 million on improvements over the next several years. The report suggests that funding could come from grants and donations, a parks bond issue or a future parks tax. Here are some highlights:
Phase 1 — $2.5 million to $3 million
• New sidewalks, curbs and ramps to make the market more accessible for the disabled.

• Roof repairs, tuckpointing and bathroom improvements; as well as removal of "existing bird residue" and the addition of "measures to prevent reoccurrence."
• Enhanced signage.

Phase 2 — $4.7 million to $5 million

• Median improvements, new trees and improved crosswalks on nearby streets.
• Remove bandstand, remove trees to enlarge market plaza area and add "mini spray park."
• Remove paint from structural steel and repaint.

Phase 3 — $5.4 million to $6 million
• Construct new Carroll Street entrance and create enclosed storage space between vendor wings.
• Install heating elements and ceiling fans throughout the market; enclose the outdoor wings with glass garage doors to make the market comfortable in winter.

• Convert gym to event space with new restrooms, warming kitchen.

Would assume the money will go to at least some of these priorities already identified.

Soulard Farmers Market

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