Tag Archives: Findlay Market

Let’s play the glad game!

Posted on by
1

Anyone remember Pollyanna? There are so many great quotes from that movie, my favorite is “Death comes unexpectedly!” shouted by the Reverend Ford during one of the church services. I’ve been to a couple of those

Mama Grace

with the preacher shaking a fist and predicting damnation to everyone. Anyway…grab a cup of lambs broth and lets talk about some fun stuff. My last couple of postings were a bit heavy, so let’s do a glad post this week!

 

Last weekend was our yearly birthday celebration. I’ve never been a big fan of giving stuff but I love celebrating with an experience. For instance, when my dad passed I got some inheritance from the sale of his house. I decided to take my girls to Disney World. It was one of the best vacations we’ve ever  had. I guess I could have planted a tree or something in the garden as a memorial but the memories we created on that trip were priceless. We took a moment one night to drink a beer, toast Papa’s memory, and laugh about the irony of using the sale of his house to travel when the man had never been any more than 100 miles away from his home in his life.

My daughters are, thankfully, employed and doing fine financially. They don’t want for much and I would rather spend the weekend laughing and having a good time rather than buying something from the store that will wind up in a closet somewhere. Last year we went to the Elton John concert in Cincinnati for birthdays. This year, I proposed going to the Cheap Trick/Joan Jett/Heart concert at Riverbend then out for dinner. Instead of just Friday night, the celebration turned into a weekend of hi-jinx. The eldest elected to forgo concert attending this year (Boo!) so I’m still searching for something fun for us to do. But, the three younger daughters, two boyfriends, and I had a fabulous weekend.

I’m not going to bore everyone with a  recap of everything we did, but here are the highlights:

Friday: Grace Girls (plus Tracy K.) only. Great music but…Riverbend…please get some help with after the concert traffic flow. Had it not been for my mad driving skills, we’d still be waiting for the line of traffic to start moving out of the parking lot. Sometimes it’s good to drive a Beetle even if it looks like a clown car when the four of us debark.

Saturday: $10 coupons at Penny’s means half price mattress pads for new beds at my house. Thank you to my girls for getting up early and doorbusting with me. Next was a Ghostbusters matinee at the Florence Rave Cinemas. Fabulous, funny,empowering, and a must see. Boyfriends arrive, cocktail drinking ensues, Arnold’s Bar and Grill, not as fun as everyone has told me (too hot in the courtyard, too expensive, too difficult to find a parking lot with an open spot) but glad I can now say I’ve been to Arnold’s. On to Wunderbar, best dive bar in the Cincinnati area. If you’re ever within driving distance of Covington, KY you have to stop here. Fabulous food made in-house and cheap drinks. Lots of good, local beer on tap, and live music. Rumor has it that bar manager, Borden, has left for someplace else. I hope not…he knew my tastes in beer. Stacy S. joined us, so glad she drove in from way out where she lives to catch up on family gossip!

Sunday: Findlay Market, Black Forest Cherry birthday cake for desert and this picture sums up the weekend…

chair cropped

Dimitri and Jay in the giant chair

The best part was watching them crawl back out. This family of mine makes me laugh harder and smile more than anything else in the world.

 

How to create successful public markets

Posted on by
1

OK, so this the official reason I came to New York. I am a graduate student studying history and culture with an emphasis on urban planning and how public markets create and define community. Marketplaces have been neighborhood centers in cities all over the world

She WOlfWEB

She Wolf Bakery at Fort Greene Park Greenmarket

since time began. In the city of Cincinnati, around the time of the Civil War, there were nine markets in operation. As the city grew, incline railways were installed to provide an easy way to navigate the hills surrounding the outskirts of town. With this new form of transportation, people migrated out of the inner-city to live in the “suburbs” of the time. As the population became less dense and methods of transportation became easier to navigate, there was less need for so many markets. Most residents didn’t have the need of a market place to be within walking distance of home. Refrigeration became more dependable, so food could be stored at home rather than purchased fresh every day. Luckily, my beloved Findlay Market in Over the Rhine made it through the lean years and has remained in continuous operation since it opened in 1852.

HerbsWEB The Project for Public Spaces is a non-profit organization which opened in 1975 to help people who want to create more livable cities. Every summer and fall they host a conference and invite anyone to attend who is interested in preserving, growing, or building a successful market. The conference in June had attendees from California, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Mexico, Portugal, Canada, Australia, Ecuador, and Bermuda. It was an amazing two days of learning and conversation with people who have the same goal: to create and maintain a successful public market that will provide jobs, healthy food, and a community anchor in their cities. My goal was a bit different in that I was collecting information to build

Radishes WEB

Fort Greene Park Greenmarket

a base of evidence for my thesis research.

The opportunity to visit seven iconic New York City markets and speak “market-ese” for two days was a dream come true. From the first few moments together everyone was talking, sharing stories, offering advice, asking questions, showing pictures, comparing demographics…all in all just the friendliest bunch of people ever. Then again, these are market people, when have you ever met a grump at a public market?  The plus for me was that I learned so much about the structure of a successful market, how to create a good mix of vendors and how to manage the

Hester Street People WEB

Hester Street Fair

vendors and encourage them to have an attractive, selling stall. We talked about how to create welcoming public space and how to control quality growth. So many new concepts to ponder and so many confirmations that my thesis proposal is solid. My mind was in overload mode for days after the conference concluded.

Next up…pictures and mini-critiques of Market Saturday.

Saturday Morning at Findlay

Posted on by
3

What’s better than starting off a weekend with an early morning trip to Findlay Market? Ummm…nothing. I had a Friends of Findlay meeting at 9:00am, which means a stop at Blue Oven Bakery on my way in because I don’t want to take the chance they’ll be out of English muffins when the meeting is over. And, bonus score for the day, the butter croissant were on sale for $2.

The Friends of Findlay Market is a volunteer group that supports the market as well as the Findlay Corporation by serving as outreach ambassadors, tour leaders, event workers, and all-around good people sworn to “preserve, protect, and promote” Findlay. I have the good fortune to serve as the chair of the Education and Civic Committee and give historic tours on Saturday mornings. You should come as I am a most excellent story-teller and it’s free. I talk a bit about General James Findlay, whose estate donated the land where the market building has been standing since 1852. I also tell a couple of bawdy stories about the Northern Liberties and why Over the Rhine is called Over the Rhine. You’ll learn about long-time vendors like Eckerlin’s who now have the sixth generation of family members working behind the butcher counter and have been at Findlay since the beginning. Then there are the young upstarts like Taste of Belgium that got its start in 2007 making liege waffles with a single waffle iron in the back of Madison’s Market and now has 5 locations around Cincinnati and Columbus. I talk about what’s new, what’s changing, what’s staying the same, upcoming events, and why everyone should buy fresh, local, and in season. Know your farmer, know your food.

So, I walked two laps around the exterior of the market and one straight up the middle of the building and met some new friends. The first was Benjamin Ranly and Philip Ranly of Injoy Food Stand. They serve fresh, crisp, fabulous Indian inspired dishes you can scoop into your mouth as you walk along the south side of the market. I tried the Tikkasala (chicken, Basmati rice, and veg) without cilantro, thanks to Philip

Injoy Food Cart

Injoy Food Stand

for listening when I said I didn’t like it’s taste. At $6 per serving the price was right for the first round of Findlay lunch. The guys are gracious and talkative and make all their customers feel welcome. I liked their mini-kitchen set up, it reminded me of an upscale push-cart ready to bring on the Indian hand-held servings just about anywhere. I wonder if they’ve had time to think about a catering side to their business? It’d be great to have them at a backyard party or wedding reception. So much yum. I’m guessing they’ll be at Findlay all summer.Look for them on the south side on Essen Strasse near Race Street. Benjamin and Philip…leave me a comment and let us know where else you’ll be.

 

A little further down Essen Strasse, just past Pleasant Street, I met Isis and Chris at Arepa Place Latin Grill. Columbian food is new on the Cincinnati scene and thank goodness it’s here. They serve arepas which are thick, ground maize rounds, split like a pita and stuffed with meat, cheese, beans, and plantains then grilled to melty perfection.

Isis and Chris Arepas Place

Isis and Chris at Arepa Place Latin Grill

Everything here is scratch made, including a choice of sauces to pour over the top. They even have one sauce that is cilantro-free, yay! The servings are large enough to share if you want. Everyone working this booth had big smiles on their faces and I could feel the passion they have for the food they serve. Arepa Place is part of the new Findlay Kitchen where food entrepreneurs rent commercial kitchen space to roll out their product and will stay there until they are ready to go out on their own. They are open Friday – Sunday and their tent is across from Saigon Market.

 

I love the market as the rainy spring gives way to the sunny summer. The farm shed comes alive with more and more farmers every week bringing bedding plants, gorgeous fresh-cut flowers, and baskets of organic fruits and vegetables. Findlay is a colorful, thriving, living history anchor for Cincinnati and the OTR neighborhood. Come visit and get into the market vibe.

The new phone book’s here!

Posted on by
Reply

I’m somebody now! No, not really the phone book, but a nod to Steve Martin from the Jerk. The new phone book is here x

I got just as excited as Navan Johnson, though, when my membership card from the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in Manhattan came last week. The quote is my favorite go to when I see my name in print. I said it when I saw my badge from the Ohio History Connection regional meeting I attended in March. Somehow it makes me feel real. It gives me some cred with other professionals. It lets visitors to Findlay Market understand that I really know what I’m talking about when I lead historic tours there.

So, Manhattan, yes! That’s the next adventure for Gigi-a-Gogo. I’m trying hard to remain calm and not spend hours on the web looking at maps of Mid-Town and the Lower East Side, figuring out how many things I can see in the few days I’ll be there. I’m going to attend a conference given by the Project for Public Spaces called “How to Create Successful Public Markets” in partial completion of my Applications I class. I also have 5 tours booked at the Tenement Museum and a docent lead tour of Grand Central Station. Get ready for lots of pictures on Instagram and daily posts detailing the excitement of my first time in NYC.

The conference is two days and will be lead by three experienced market builders. One, David O’Neil, is the former General Manager of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. Being the market groupie I am, I can’t wait bask in the glow of all this historic market bliss. I’m hoping to have some time to connect with Mr. O’Neil to speak with him about his ideas for keeping the wave of urban market popularity alive. I’ve visited the Reading Terminal Market several times. It’s sits beneath where the old terminal train sheds were located in downtown Philadelphia and has been in operation since 1892. It’s a huge indoor space filled with more than 75 vendors selling everything from fresh fish to handmade Amish doughnuts. I’m hopeful I will be able to get back there on one of my long-weekend market jaunts within the next year.

Quick side trip to Philly, back to New York…I’ve had so many recommendations from friends on where to go and what to see. The time I’m spending at the Tenement Museum and Grand Central will add to my arsenal of information about how communities function and how shared public places enable residents to form attachments to place.  Think about it. Your block, your school, the park you snuck a smoke in when you were 13 all help to give a definition and sense of self. Imagine how different your life would be if these places were not there when you were growing up. As I am beginning to dig in to my thesis study I am continually amazed to find so many things that contribute to form who we are, what triggers memories of past events, and the attachment that binds it all together. Open, public places need to be prominent in all city plans to give future generations a chance to create that connectedness to place.

Lots of squee* in my life right now. Less than three week until blast-off, not sure I can stand it.

The new phone book is here.2x.jpg

*The sound I make when there’s so much excitement I don’t know what else to do.