Share
308
Full MemberFull Member
308

Post4:13 PM - 1 day ago#126

I've always heard that there has been resistance among long-time Soulard Market vendors to improve the market too much, lest they be priced out/transform the character. There have been plenty of markets/food halls across the country that have been spiffed up specifically to attract a higher-end clientele (I'm not saying that's good or bad -- just noting it). St. Roch Market in New Orleans comes to mind.

All of that said, I'd like to see the market be better maintained for sure, if not substantially rehauled. In particular, the 7th Street side is awful. The street should be narrowed back to its old width in my opinion (essentially halved in size). I love the concept shown above, addxb2! (Side note: this portion of the discussion should probably go into a Soulard Market thread though).
2,696
Life MemberLife Member
2,696

Post5:25 PM - 1 day ago#127

I will say they finally caught up on a lot of the differed maintenance to the exterior of the structure. New roof and a lot of the rotting fascia has been replaced. It's still an outdated farmers market, but at least it's a fixed up outdated farmers market I suppose. They aren't even open on Sundays! What a missed opportunity. 

It's a shame they can't find a way to expand and modernize. In an ideal world the Soulard Farmer's Market is the cultural centerpiece of a dense neighborhood connecting Downtown to Soulard. Instead what we have is a highway, the tip of Soulard, and 180 degrees of auto oriented neighborhood across 7th. 

Koscuisko north of Russell is one of our highest potential neighborhoods for 5 over 1 construction with it's proximity to Soulard and Downtown. I could be wrong, but the area seems essentially NIMBY proof because nobody currently lives there to oppose dense projects. It blows my mind that it hasn't happened yet on basically any scale. Soulard is dope but imagine what it would look like with another 5000 neighbors right across 7th.
551
Senior MemberSenior Member
551

Post6:02 PM - 1 day ago#128

stldotage wrote: ↑
4:13 PM - 1 day ago
I've always heard that there has been resistance among long-time Soulard Market vendors to improve the market too much, lest they be priced out/transform the character. There have been plenty of markets/food halls across the country that have been spiffed up specifically to attract a higher-end clientele (I'm not saying that's good or bad -- just noting it). St. Roch Market in New Orleans comes to mind.

All of that said, I'd like to see the market be better maintained for sure, if not substantially rehauled. In particular, the 7th Street side is awful. The street should be narrowed back to its old width in my opinion (essentially halved in size). I love the concept shown above, addxb2! (Side note: this portion of the discussion should probably go into a Soulard Market thread though).
Yeah, I always heard that about the current vendors protesting but I am no longer as sympathetic as I was.  I'm sure there are creative ways to keep the character while improving the basics. 

Absent a significant capital investment, this genuine regional amenity gem is going to become more and more and more irrelevant. At that point, the old school vendors wont' have anyone to sell to.

Hell, create a Soulard Market-specific TIF/CID. 

Post6:05 PM - 1 day ago#129

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑
5:25 PM - 1 day ago
I will say they finally caught up on a lot of the differed maintenance to the exterior of the structure. New roof and a lot of the rotting fascia has been replaced. It's still an outdated farmers market, but at least it's a fixed up outdated farmers market I suppose. They aren't even open on Sundays! What a missed opportunity. 

It's a shame they can't find a way to expand and modernize. In an ideal world the Soulard Farmer's Market is the cultural centerpiece of a dense neighborhood connecting Downtown to Soulard. Instead what we have is a highway, the tip of Soulard, and 180 degrees of auto oriented neighborhood across 7th. 

Koscuisko north of Russell is one of our highest potential neighborhoods for 5 over 1 construction with it's proximity to Soulard and Downtown. I could be wrong, but the area seems essentially NIMBY proof because nobody currently lives there to oppose dense projects. It blows my mind that it hasn't happened yet on basically any scale. Soulard is dope but imagine what it would look like with another 5000 neighbors right across 7th.
It is so bizarre that market touted as regional asset is open for a single day/week.  (Yeah, yeah, yeah, the inside vendors are open more but so what. the stalls are all empty.)

If you do a significant remodel and relaunch with all kinds of publicity, you can drive demand for Sunday biz. 

Why none of this is happening - such common sense actions - is beyond frustrating. 
Read more posts (-21 remaining)
Share