Dear North Market Shopper,

When people talk about their visit to the Market they often talk in sensory terms. The “sights, sounds, tastes and smells” of the Market all contribute to a total sensory experience. And we know that coming to North Market is not just a shopping occasion, it’s a full-on experience.

One of our goals is to enhance the Market experience and do it in a way that is both meaningful to our shoppers and supportive of the mission to promote local food and local businesses.

We have some great activities lined-up in the next few weeks that will be fun, educational and most of all delicious:

September 24 & 25 Columbus Microbrew Festival

It’s a celebration of the booming interest in locally-brewed craft beers. Come taste the work of our local craft brewers in this two-day festival.

September 29 Local Brews, Booze and Foods

It’s our best kept secret. This year we quietly started a little after work gathering on our porch. Shoppers were treated to some great Columbus Brewing Company beers and our version of street food creations. This is our last gathering of the year. We’ve invited new local distillery Middle West Spirits to join the fun. Stop by and give it a try.

October 2 Harvest Festival and Market to Market Ride

In celebration of Local Foods Week we host our annual Harvest Festival that features the late season bounty of our Farmers Market…AND what has become one of the fastest growing cycling events in the City. In a little more than a year, the Market to Market ride has attracted hundreds of cyclists who love and support the local foods movement.

The Dispatch Kitchen

Our partnership with WBNS-10TV and the Columbus Dispatch provides the Market with a fun and educational space. Food editor and James Beard Award winner, Robin Davis leads weekly cooking demonstrations with our city’s finest chefs. The Dispatch Kitchen is also hopping with special events such as CupcakeCampColumbus which is scheduled for October 10.

The Market is more than a place to shop for the greatest artisan, local and international foods. It’s a place where we celebrate, we educate and we have a little fun.

It doesn’t take a special event to make you visit an “experience.” It’s our community of 35 business owners, our unique personality and an unforgettable array of the best food in town.

Dave Wible

Above any other time of the year, the holidays are most special. As we approach Thanksgiving and all the special days coming in December here are some important things to think about. 

Supporting local businesses and local economies has never been more important. When you buy, you vote with your dollars. When you buy at North Market you support the great local businesses and local families that own them.

Eat locally for all the right reasons, but eat locally because it tastes better. Locally grown and locally raised food is right for the season. It’s fresher, more nutritious, better for the environment, but importantly it’s food of the moment. Seasonal food and local food simply taste better than food that travels from half way around the globe.

Try Ohio wines and locally brewed beers. They’re darn good and might even taste better because you’re supporting a greater cause. Pair them with some Ohio cheeses for a delightful presentation.

Make the holiday table or occasion special with a local theme. A trip to the North Market enables you to prepare an event with a theme that’s never been more appropriate.

Everything about food today is local and everything about North Market supports the idea that supporting local businesses can make for the most special of holidays. Our food comes from farms not factories and our businesses are owned by our neighbors.

This holiday season give your community the biggest gift of all by supporting the 35 family owned and operated businesses here at North Market.

Happy Holidays,

David Wible
Executive Director

Dear North Market Shopper, 

There’s a local angle to everything these days. As informed consumers participate in the marketplace, local foods, local businesses and local economies now occupy an ever-important place in our community.

This weekend we’re putting a fun twist on local by hosting eight local microbreweries at our 4th Annual Columbus Microbrew Festival. Craft brewing is hot as local brewmasters impart their special touch on a wide variety or beer and ale. Not unlike winemakers, brewmasters use their knowledge, passion and creativity to create unique and tasty brews.

True to the North Market experience where you can visit with business owners, growers and artisans, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the craft brewers and learn more about their trade.

As you learn about locally produced beers, you’ll also be learning about a new way to support another category of locally produced products. It’s another way we can be proud of the abundant creative energy we have in our city.

In addition to our eight craft brewers, we’ll have our full complement of growers on Saturday, a Market full of the finest local food in town and a dozen Ohio Proud vendors on Sunday.

The North Market. More than 35 local businesses, more than 30 local farms and this Friday and Saturday, 8 craft brewers, 12 Ohio Proud vendors on Sunday…our selection is tremendous, the freshness is unsurpassed and as always, the advice is free.

Looking forward to seeing you here.

David Wible
Executive Director

Dear North Market Shopper, 

I’m not sure that I’ve ever experienced a time where food has been in sharper focus than it is today.

This summer two very different, but very powerful films have captured our attention. In the mainstream, Julie and Julia is proving to be one of the year’s biggest hits. Julie and Julia has rocketed Julia Child’s classic cookbooks to the top of all the best sellers lists.

Food, Inc., a film from the creators of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, focuses on the politics of food. It’s a compelling look at the “what, why and how” we eat.

Both films are well worth your time. Educational, entertaining and inspiring. But more importantly, film reflects our culture and our mood. And it seems right now, food is on our minds.

Everywhere there are stories about eating better, fresher, more healthful food. Public school systems are looking at how we can feed our children with more nutritionally valuable lunches. Groups like Slow Food are gaining more interest and popularity. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is flourishing. All because we want better food on our tables.

At North Market we’re all about fresh, local, healthful food. We’ve been that way for more than 130 years. Here you’ll find the Smith family that humanely and naturally raises their own beef, pork, lamb and goat on their farm near Marysville. The Greener Grocer has become our local farmstand in the City with fresh locally grown produce all week long. Local cheeses, local poultry, local ice cream, artisan baked goods, high quality fresh ingredients and locally owned businesses are what we’re all about.

So this summer if you’ve found that you are having an ever-increasing awareness about the quality of what’s on your table, stop by the Market where you’ll not only find great food, you’ll get a heaping cupful of inspiration, as well.

Dave Wible

Dear North Market Shoppers,

I had the opportunity to speak at a conference in Greenville hosted by Heritage Ohio.  The subject of the gathering was, “Nourishing Downtown, Connecting Local Foods to Downtowns.” 

Every time you have to give a talk it causes you to slow down and do a little research about the topic.  It also gives you the opportunity to think a little more clearly about why exactly the hosts have asked you to speak.

The meeting was attended by downtown planners, chamber leaders, farmers market organizers and main street managers from all over the state.

While it’s always great to talk about the Market and our role in the community, it was also inspiring to see such widespread support and understanding of “local.”  It’s no longer a “movement,” it’s really become mainstream.

With the challenges in our economy, I think it’s become easy for everyone to see that bigger is not always better.  It’s tough to watch brand new big box retailers succumb to the economy and leave in their wake hundreds of thousands of square feet of empty retail space that has no hope of being reclaimed. 

With this in mind it seems that people are moving back to things that inspire romance, memory and trust versus things that are fast, convenient and cheap.  When you buy locally you support local economies, local families and local businesses.  That support translates into products and services in which you can trust. 

When you support places like North Market you’re supporting people like, Jeni, Annemarie, Amy, Pam, Cheese Mike, David, Cheryl and The Fish Guys.  And what you get in return are products that are second to none.  The best of the best.

In just a few weeks our growers will start to arrive on Saturday mornings with fresh produce that they grow with their own hands.  There’s nothing better in this world than fresh grown produce…there’s nothing more local, either.

The local movement is alive and strong here at the North Market.  We’ve been doing it for 133 years.  It’s nice to know we’re about 130 years ahead of the trend.

See you at the Market.

Dave 

Last week we launched our new website…it’s a brave new world here at North Market.

Our website reflects our new communications strategy to feature our merchants in an up close and personal way.  One of our lines, “35 Distinct Personalities, 1 Incredible Place,” really captures the essence of the Market. 

As I have mentioned often times before, at North Market you buy baked goods from Amy, ice cream from Jeni, cheese from Mike, meats from David and Cheryl, poultry from Annemarie and Jerry.  It’s all very personal and our community of unique personalities really differentiates the Market from traditional, contemporary buying experiences.

Visit our new website at www.northmarket.com where you can learn more about every merchant here at the Market.  You can also keep up to date on events and activities, purchase gift certificates and read posts from our blog.

Speaking of blogging, something that I’m just learning to do, we’ll also be Twittering (@NorthMarket), enhancing our Facebook presence and we’re building a nice file of photos on Flickr.

We’re all hoping that you love our new website and we’re always open for comments along the way.  So now you can shop our site as well as our Market…we hope both experiences are equally great.

Happy New Year!

As we close out the past year and look to the “New,” we’re always compelled
to come up with some resolutions for the upcoming year.

Here are 5 North Market resolutions to think about:

1. Eat Fresh. Build your meals around fresh sensible portions of protein.
Daily doses of fresh seafood, poultry and red meat are in abundant supply
here at the Market. Try something new and interesting. Ask our merchants
what’s great and ask them how to prepare it.

2. Eat More Fresh Vegetables and Fruits. The Greener Grocer is always
offering fresh, local and unique produce. The staff is well versed in
what’s the freshest and can offer interesting preparation techniques.

3. Spend Quality Time With Friends and Family. Great food brings us all a
bit closer together. Prepare a great meal with great ingredients from the
Market. Have fun, try something new. We offer a world of professional
advice to turn great raw materials into a spectacular gathering.

4. Support Local Businesses and Local Economies. There is no question that
we are in for a challenging time and while the news is not always uplifting,
the source of civic pride one gets by shopping their public market is
undeniable. Supporting our North Market merchants has many rewards. The
absolute finest foodstuffs are being prepared and offered daily by our
community of local food artisans. When you shop the Market you support
local, family-owned businesses and you wind-up with a shopping basket of the
best ingredients Columbus has to offer.

5. Treat Yourself to Small Pleasures. A pint of Jeni’s Ice Cream in your
freezer can be the key to a simple delightful pleasure. Try new and
inventive flavors. Savor a simple scoop of ice cream, sorbet or yogurt.
Fresh and delicious…it’s some of the finest ice cream made in America and
you can have it everyday right in your freezer

There you have it…FIVE New Year’s Resolutions…all easy to achieve…all
made possible by your public market…North Market.

Happy New Year.

Dave Wible
Executive Director