Capstone

MARKETS AS COMMUNITY HUBs IN BOSTON

Katie Delaney

Dec. 11, 2023

In my few years at Emerson, I've witnessed first-hand the increase of markets in the Boston area, particularly arts and clothing markets. A key part of my sophomore year was doing my weekend shopping—or more so browsing—at the Open Market in Copley Square, admiring—and usually never buying—vintage clothes and records. And a staple of my winters for the past couple years has been going to the Holiday Market at Snowport, making the cold trek to Seaport, but warming up with a hot chocolate and shopping at small businesses.

This trend has fascinated me for a while, and led me to wonder why markets have been on the rise, especially since more and more people shop online. So for my capstone I decided to investigate this topic over the course of three months. I wanted to figure out the reasons for this rise.

I started by doing some research, but the data on markets in Boston is rather scarce. What I could find more information about was farmers markets, so I decided to start there. I was able to find where all the farmers markets in the state of Massachusetts are, the organizations that create and support them, and the programs that they offer.

For my first written story I went to the Brighton Farmers Market, and connected with Jessi Rubin, the farmers market manager of the Allston Brighton Health Collective, who organizes the market. She told me about how the market helps make healthy food more accessible for low-income people, how farmers markers promote sustainability, and how all the different players work together to make a positive experience for all. The sellers were all happy to be there, and the customers equally so. The market was full of life, and showed how markets can really strengthen a community.

For my photo story I went to the Fenway Flea, a weekly outdoor clothing market. I talked to many of the sellers there, who all embraced the opportunity to sell to people in-person, connecting with their customers and having their customers connect with their clothes better than through online sales. For small businesses, the price of selling at markets compared to renting a storefront also could not be beat.

For my audio story I focused on how markets affect the economy and the state of Massachusetts as a whole. I spoke with David Webber, the Farmers Market Coordinator of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resouces and Chelsea Renault Doliner, the Marketing and Engagement Officer of the Boston Public Market. They provided great insight into how markets can help the local economy, and are really advantageous for farmers and business owners.

For my video story I went to the Holiday Market at Snowport, and focused on how the market is a great center for community, as well as supporting small businesses. Combining local commerce and holiday cheer created an environment that all could enjoy.

And for my final capstone, I have created an audio story summarizing my findings throughout this project. I'm focusing on four categories: how markets benefit the economy, sellers, shoppers, and the community at large.

You can give the full story a listen right down below!

TRANSCRIPT

Katie Delaney: Living in Boston for the past few years, I've noticed the proliferation of markets in the Boston area. If you're looking for something to do over the weekend in the city, nowadays there’s always a farmers market, an outdoor artisan market, or a clothing market that you can check out.

Of course there’s the well-known Boston Public Market, which has been around since 2015 and is planning to have close to two million visitors this year. But in the past few years, many new arts and clothing markets have come onto the scene: like the Fenway Flea last year, the Boston Open Market in 2021, and many popular holiday markets as well, like Snowport. There are also plenty of farmers markets, with over 200 in Massachusetts.

Though more and more people these days are shopping online, there’s still a clear demand for in-person markets due to their popularity. I decided to look into why markets are on the rise in boston. I looked into four main areas: how markets benefit the economy, sellers, shoppers, and the community at large.

Looking first at the economy, I decided to talk to David Webber, who is the farmers market coordinator of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. I wanted to get a look into how the government helps to establish markets, and the benefits to Massachusetts as a whole.

David Webber: I work with farmers markets all across the state in terms of helping to set them up when local communities and local groups from different parts of the state are looking to start a farmers market. We have resources available to them on our website, and also a resource that folks can reach out to in terms of how to go about starting a market. What are some of the regulations or rules around that? Best practices and that type of thing. And we also try and get the word out to consumers about farmers markets.

Katie Delaney: Agriculture is important to the economy of Massachusetts, and farmers markets give farmers who work in that sector an outlet to sell their produce and increase their revenue.

David Webber: Overall agriculture has a market value of $475 million in the state. And the 100 million of that is through direct marketing. So direct marketing would include not just farmers markets, but also farm stands, pick your own operations, a community supported agriculture operations, but farmers markets are a significant component of that. We have over about 225 or so summer, sort of seasonal like spring to fall markets and another 50 or so winter markets. And that, you know, hundreds and hundreds of farmers and food producers participate in each week throughout the year.

Katie Delaney: One of the markets that David's department helped to establish is the Boston public market, which is an indoor, year-round market that houses around 30 vendors. I spoke with Chelsea Renault Doliner, who is the marketing and engagement officer for the market, to see how they’re contributing to the local economy.

Chelsea Renault Doliner: So really, the way that our market, I think benefits the commonwealth economy the most, is the breadth of opportunity that we give to people. I mean, it's not just the 32 or 30 vendors that we have in the market permanently all the time, we welcome upwards of 70 pop up vendors here. Also our vendors source from over 107, New England and Massachusetts farms, we support as a market over 44,000 acres of farmland across New England. And we also have 100 fishermen and women whose livelihood is supported by what is sold at the market. And so it's not just about the economic opportunity that we're offering the 30 business owners that are currently staged in the market. But it's really about the entire food community that we are an artisan community that we're helping to support through those vendors.

Katie Delaney: When you shop from local sellers, you’re keeping your money local, as opposed to shopping from big chain grocery stores. Jessi Rubin, the farmers market manager of the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative, told me that shopping local is a great way to help sustain farms and growers across the state.

Jessi Rubin: You know, every dollar whether it's, you know, a coupon dollar, snap dollar, credit card dollar, a cash dollar, you know, like, in the literal sense of any dollar that you know, a farmer makes. That is sustainability for the state because that money goes directly into the, the well being of these farmers and growers that are growing our food in the state of Massachusetts.

Katie Delaney: Next, let’s look at some of the benefits of markets for the vendors who are selling their products. the main pro of selling at a market? Everyone I talked to told me it’s being able to sell directly to customers and connect with them.

Corrie Vanderbrug, the owner of 1734 Thrift, sells second hand

clothing at markets, like the fenway flea. She told me that though

she does sell online, it’s not what she prefers.

Corrie Vanderbrug: I prefer like the markets because I get to talk to

people. I get to learn what they're looking for, like learn about them.

A lot of the time, buyers have like a connection to the piece that they

bought for me. I had a cool dachshund shirt and then somebody was

like, oh, I owned like a bunch of those growing up and then she like

bought it and like reminded her of family and like growing up and so

I really liked that connection where I don't get that shopping online

or selling online

Katie Delaney: Corinn Colford, who I met while she was selling her art at the Brighton Farmers Market, also likes to interact with her customers, and see how they respond to her work.

Corinn Colford: It's way better. I love being in person because even like i was just doing the live painting. I love seeing - yeah, cool. I just finished that. so it's cool to see people walk by and get their reactions and they actually get really curious of it and ask questions. And I always try to make art more accessible to people like this.

Katie Delaney: Many people love the vibes of selling in-person, but they also like the price. Retail prices are rising, and markets provide vendors a place to sell, at a much lower price than renting a brick and mortar store. According to Loopnet, the average rent for retail space in Boston is $24.10 per square foot. For example, a small 1,000 square foot store would cost over $24,000 a year. Markets provide a much cheaper alternative for business owners to get their in-person start.

At the Public Market, Chelsea told me that they strive to provide vendors with a good price.

Chelsea Renault Doliner: The rent at the rate that we offer, is it just incomparable to what somebody would find at a you know, a store on Newbury Street, or any kind of brick and mortar location that's not within the market.

Katie Delaney: The Public Market, in its central location, provides sellers with lots of foot traffic, and more people coming to their booths than they would if they were selling alone, and not in a collective.

At the Snowport Holiday Market, which features over 120 businesses, I talked to artist Mia Whittemore, who sells floral and botanical art. She said that the traction at the market has been great, with market organizers expecting over a million visitors from November through December.

Mia Whittemore: Yeah so it’s been so fabulous being here because first

off, we have a wonderful community of makers. And that’s one of my

favorite things about the Boston area is that we have such a nice

community of creatives and so many opportunities for us to sell. And then

of course my other favorite thing is just the exposure that we get so that

I’m able to share my artwork with a lot of people that come through here.

And it’s just fabulous to be able to bring my work to people who maybe

wouldn’t have seen it somewhere else, and the winter ambiance too, it’s

just fabulous.

Katie Delaney: Many people in the Boston area really enjoy shopping at markets, but more than just relishing in the variety of products, there are real benefits for customers.

One of those benefits is the quality of goods. At artisan markets, much of what you’re getting is homemade, or sourced locally. This goes for farmers markets as well. Local produce is typically picked within 24 hours of being sold, making it more nutritious and better tasting, according to the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. While produce from retail grocery stores often travels over 1,000 miles from the point of production to the store.

Markets also find ways to help low-income shoppers. At the Brighton Farmers Market, Jessi told me about the Healthy Incentives Program, in which SNAP shoppers can earn a dollar-for-dollar match on their EBT card when they buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

Jessi Rubin: You know, the farmers markets really become a place for people that didn't always think they could access farmers markets. They now can access farmers markets because we financially support that for them.

Katie Delaney: One of the benefits I've found for shoppers, vendors, and organizers alike is that markets build a sense of community. They bring people together not just to sell and shop, but to make connections, learn more about one another, and enjoy their time together.

At the Brighton Farmers Market, musicians performed live

on stage, families gathered, kids played together and colored

the sidewalk with chalk, and volunteers chatted.

Jessi Rubin: A farmers market is really a gathering space for,

you know, community residents, and, you know, organizations

leaders in the community to network and kind of participate in

engage in the community and do community outreach.

Katie Delaney: At the Snowport Holiday Market, people had food and drinks together, shopped around, and even bonded while doing holiday crafting. I spoke with Kamryn Clarke, who painted Christmas ornaments with her friends in the market’s crafting corner, embracing the community and holiday cheer.

Kamryn Clarke: It's my birthday tomorrow and so I'm celebrating my birthday week. I'm from California but I love Boston more than anything in this world. and so I’m visiting my friends and hanging out in Snowport. Being from out of town, it feels like I'm involved in the Boston community and culture. And just being here with all the locals and everyone it’s been a lot of fun. And just like immersing in the local shops is great too.

Katie Delaney: Overall, markets in boston can really be seen as a community hub, where mutualism thrives.

Chelsea Renault Doliner: I mean, that's the entire point of a public market is to be a space for community building, and to support the entrepreneurs that, so we always think of our community in two ways we have our community of vendors, and that's really important to us that we're fostering those relationships and fostering their success. But we're also part of the wider Boston community, whether you're looking at that as a neighborhood, or food lovers or whatever it is, that draws you to the Boston Public Market. You know, our entire mission is about building a community around food. And so whether that's because you love to stop here and get your coffee, And that's just where you get your coffee or because your kid loves to come with you and look at the fish in Red's Best fish case while you're doing your grocery shopping, or because you took a cooking class with seven hills pasta, and now that's the only place you buy your pasta.

David Webber: They create a community event. And I mean, all of the farmers markets are run locally. So they're not run by the state or are a statewide organization. It's folks from the local community saying we want a farmers market. And they're trying to bring the community together through a farmers market, and support, usually multiple goals, as we talked about, including supporting local farms, creating that community event and educating consumers about local agriculture, and food access.

Katie Delaney: This story was reported and produced by Katie Delaney.