Chances are, you know someone who makes good food: Someone who makes mouthwatering cookies; or incredible jams; or raises chickens with rich, flavorful eggs. Chances are, you know someone who could sell that good food to a community of people who want to eat it.
We’re creating a market that’ll do that very thing. We will bring together makers of good food with eaters of good food. We are doing it in downtown Fresno. Why? Good question!
Downtown Fresno is at the beginning phase of transformation. New lofts are popping up, the neighborhoods surrounding downtown are receiving much needed attention, and new investors are buying beautiful old buildings for restoration and new businesses. We know that urban workers, residents and visitors would like a place to experience our incredible local food.
The central San Joaquin Valley is a place of great abundance; Fresno County alone grows 1 1/2 times the value of all of the crops in Oregon. Add in Tulare, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Kern and Merced counties and you have, hands down, the most amazing place in the world to grow food. Unfortunately the Valley is also a place of great need. Our economy has struggled and as a result we have a disparate amount of social and health issues.
So what can we do? We can grow our economy, based on our strengths. We can grow food year-around. We can sell it fresh to our neighbors, but we can also turn it into wonderful recipes that’ll last a little longer—from spicy to frozen, pickled to baked.
Peeve's Local Market is a market for locally-made and locally-grown food and, since we consider beer and wine to be food, we'll carry locally-crafted beer and wine too (once all the proper licenses are in place). This will be a place where you can shop to support the burgeoning food entrepreneurship scene; to keep your money here where it's needed. A place where you can get the best of the best. and where you can send others to experience all the flavors our region has to offer.
The market will also act as a gathering place for people who are making food and those who are inspired to jump in to this exciting experience. So what do we need to open up shop? Well, we have the space: it’s a former jewelry shop, turned art gallery, turned bike shop adjacent to Peeve’s Public House (which will feature the market's products on their menu). But the space is a little too bare-bones for a market. Your support will help pay for shelving, a reach-in refrigerator and a reach-in freezer, and a few smaller improvements to make this a place you’ll want to shop. We'll also build an on-line store to help to introduce our local food entrepreneurs to the world.
Overall, it’s a fairly basic renovation to get the doors open. We’ll be utilizing reclaimed wood and non-VOC paints, restoring existing floors, and we’ll purchase low-energy and/or re-used appliances. And of course, we’ll be tapping into local talent by contracting with Tim Schulz of ReVive Industries and Alvaro Romero of Misc. Trading Co. Join us in creating a place for food makers to sell their products, and for locals and visitors alike to taste the varied flavors of the valley.
Contact Information:
1243 Fulton Mall
Fresno, Ca 93704
Risks and challenges
The market space has served as many things, but none related to food, so we'll need to apply for a license from the health department. We've already met with them (they’re our neighbors, after all), and they seem excited about the plans.
Since we're not making any real structural changes, we won't need a building permit – just shelving, restored floors, paint (no VOC), lighting, a reach-in refrigerator and reach-in freezer.
We've assembled a small team of great employees and a large base of community enthusiasts. Once open, we'll get the community talking about the great products on our shelves, and we'll work with our entrepreneurs to co-market with us.
The biggest challenge will be overcoming relatively low foot traffic, but we will be ambitious with marketing and events, social media, and collaborations with the newly-opened Public House next door, including special dinners. All downtowns start their revitalization with a few key destination-worthy businesses; Peeve’s Local Market will be destination-worthy!
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Funding period
- (30 days)