The demolition of a liquor store in Grosse Pointe Park has made way for what will become a more permanent space for a market that attracts crowds looking for farm and hand-made goods each spring, summer and fall.
The West Park Farmers Market that comes seasonally each year to Kercheval Avenue is a success on its own, says market manager Jennifer Meldrum, but the new Market Square, which is being built about two blocks away at Kercheval and Wayburn, will give favorite vendors more permanent spots to do business.
"Our hope is to, along with the popular Saturday Market, have market items available during the week for everyone’s shopping convenience," says Meldrum.
The city's Department of Public Works has begun construction on market stalls that will line the street. Plans call for the widening of Kercheval, new landscaping and the addition of an island in the roadway that will create a roundabout for car and pedestrian traffic.
The demolition of Art's Party Store made room for additional parking in a part of the city that's experiencing a commercial renaissance as new restaurants such as Atwater Brewery and Cabbage Patch Cafe join neighborhood staples such as Belding Cleaners, Sprout House and Pointe Hardware & Lumber Hardware.
"Along with fruit and vegetable stalls, the market will feature organic produce, flower vendors and specialty items including meats, cheeses, flavored olive oils and barbecue dinners made to order," Meldrum says. "While many of our vendors will be using the new market stalls, we still plan on having the market umbrellas set up along Kercheval for gifts and seasonal items."
Market Square is the latest piece in a plan in large part driven by the philanthropic and civic-minded Cotton family to turn Kercheval Avenue at the Detroit border into a walkable promenade and magnet for locals to find quality food and shopping and public gathering spaces.
The 2014 market season runs May 24-Dec. 6.
Source: Jennifer Meldrum, market manager, Grosse Pointe Park
Writer: Kim North Shine
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