Right Now Downtown

On October 29 the summer Pearl Market closed for the 2010 season, wrapping up another very successful year of bringing fresh, local produce, foods and unique goods to the downtown community.  Over the course of the summer, 58 merchants and 30 farmers peddled their wares in the Pearl and Lynn alleys with spillover on Broad and Gay streets.  The Market operated for 47 days this summer, with an average of 3,500 people exploring its offerings on any given day.  That totals almost 165,000 visits – all from people who enjoy shopping, lunch, entertainment and some fantastic people watching.

Numbers like these reinforce the importance of Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District’s commitment to running the Pearl Market. Our Market Manager, Adam Schroeder, has helped expand the Market’s offerings through outreach to potential farmers and vendors and has improved the Market’s accessibility and visibility.  This year, after a trial run in the 2009-10 Winter Pearl Market, guests of the Market could use credit cards or the Ohio Direction Card to purchase tokens redeemable at almost all Market vendors.  The move from cash-only purchasing made it easier for last-minute shoppers, and the ability to use the Ohio Direction Card opened the Market to a new demographic.  The program was a huge success with over $14,000 in credit card transactions and over $2,400 in Ohio Direction Card/EBT transactions.

Special events and offerings served to boost interest and attendance at the Market.  Five Tasty Tuesdays were held, during which staff prepared recipes featuring Market products and provided samples and copies of the recipes to customers. (If you missed our Tasty Tuesdays, you can still check out the recipes at downtowncolumbus.com/pearlmarket/special-events). The Ohio Proud Mobile Kitchen set up shop in the Market on two occasions.  Area chefs shopped the Market and then prepared some tasty samples for Market customers.  Other special events included the Second Annual Kids’ Day on July 27 in conjunction with COSI, which garnered media attention on all of the major network television stations.  And there was Tomato Day, Strawberry Day, Squash Day, Taste of the Summer Harvest and Taste of the Fall Harvest, all of which featured special recipes and samples of the special ingredient or ingredients of the day.  Plus customers were able to enjoy live entertainment every Market day from a variety of musical guests, which sometimes led to actual dancing in the streets.

Capital Crossroads kicked off the Friends of the Market program this summer to allow fans of the Market to help support daily operations.   Both individual and business Friends of the Market options are available for purchase, benefits of which include a listing on the Pearl Market website and a reusable canvas Pearl Market shopping bag.  By the end of the Summer Market, 30 individuals and one business had signed up to be Friends of the Market. If you are interested in more information or would like to take a peek at our Friends list, visit downtowncolumbus.com/pearlmarket/friends.

The Market received much earned media from newsprint to television all season long.  One of the highlights included Fox 28 reporter, Johnny DiLoretto, who came to the Market and aired his entire morning show live in the alley.  He promoted the Market and interviewed vendors, which was a great way to support the entrepreneurial spirit of the Market vendors.  In addition, Market promotions were enhanced through our marketing and communications channels, including Facebook, Twitter and our weekly Right Now Downtown email blast.  Each vehicle was used to share information on special events and a weekly Market Special was available to Right Now Downtown subscribers.  One of our Market vendors penned a weekly blog post called the Market Maven and we posted a number of videos showing interviews with vendors and highlighting what makes the Market unique.

Though the summer Pearl Market has wrapped up for another year, the Winter Pearl Market is just kicking off. The Winter Market will be held on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. November 2 through February 25 at 33 N. Third Street.

Kids’ Day at the Market was a roaring success!  Everything was so festive!  Kids came, danced and sang, laughed and played.  Policemen rode horses down to the Market to let the children pet them.  Bob Piascik played guitar and sang, and had the kids hooked from the first verse of “Down by the Bay.”  I’m always amazed at how kids can sing their hearts out.

Also entertaining the children was Luke the Juggler.  Luke has all sorts of amazing talents, and on Kids’ Day he was Mr. Balloon.  He wears an apron with what looks like 5,000 different types and colors of balloons.  You know a balloon guy is good if he runs out breath while reciting the list of animals he can make.  His Website also says he does fire juggling.  Hmmm… that would be a blast for a birthday party.

COSI brought some kiosks down to the Market as well.  Jonathan from COSI helped us make seed necklaces, which we can replant at home and have radish plants.  My kids might actually eat radishes if they grew them themselves.  There were also some challenges and brain teasers at their booth.  COSI rocks!

Kids’ Day at the Market gets better every year.  I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year.  Until then, come visit us at the Market this week!

The first Kid’s Day at Pearl Market was a huge success!

We had wonderful fun for kids of all ages!

Many thanks to Sprout Soup, Columbus Police Department, Childhood League Center school nurse Susan Campbell, and musical genius Bob Piascik for all the time and energy they gave to give kids downtown a fun and hands-on creative day!

All through the alley I could hear music and children laughing and engaging with art and fun!

Right Downtown! It was truly awesome!

Families love Columbus and Pearl Market loves them!