My spouse and I
visited the Eastern Market on a Saturday morning in early July 2017. Spanning
over 48 acres, Eastern Market is called the “largest historic urban food
market” and the “largest open-air flowerbed market” in the United States. We enjoyed strolling
the aisles and buildings (called “sheds”) to view the fresh produce (fruits and
vegetables), plants, and seasonal flowers. Around the market area, warehouses
offer over 100 specialty businesses focused on meat, fish, wine, coffee, and
nuts, as well as an infamous hardware store and a few restaurants/bars. The
best day to attend the market is Saturday, when it operates from 6:00 am until
4:00 pm, but it also offers a smaller number of vendors on other select days of
the week such as Sundays and Tuesdays (check their website for hours and
details). The Tuesday markets offer a health and wellness focus, whereas
Sundays feature home goods (art and antiques).
The market is
located near Adelaide, Market, Mack, St. Aubin, and Gratiot Streets near the
downtown area. We leisurely walked to the market from our downtown hotel, the
Doubletree. After exploring the market, we walked to Comerica Field to attend a
Tigers game. The market offers several parking lots, parking garage, and street
parking, but when we arrived on foot in the late morning, parking was a scarce
commodity and it was difficult for cars to maneuver around.
The market district was designated a Michigan State
Historic Site in 1974 and was added to the National Register of Historic
Places in 1978. Originally called the “Farmer’s Market”, it first opened in
1841 in Cadillac Square downtown and primarily sold hay and wood. Fifty years
later, the market moved to its present location, at which time the first sheds
were built. Additional sheds were built in 1922 and 1929 as more wholesale
distributors and food processors moved into the area. In 1970, stalls were
decorated with paintings of produce and livestock, which became the Eastern
Market logos. Two sheds (numbers 3 and 5) contain permanent restroom facilities,
and a stand-alone facility is located near the market office (in the parking
lot beyond Sheds 5).
We enjoyed our time
at Eastern Market – the most impressive sight was what seemed like acres of seasonal
plants and colorful flowers!
