This article was originally written by Don Day with BoiseDev.
The large outdoor market that usually takes place along 8th St. in Downtown Boise is still on hold – but the group behind it will open this weekend. Just not in Boise.
The market informed vendors it would open its 34th St. Market to Garden City starting this Saturday.
“The 34th Street Market has been given the green light by the Mayor of Garden City,” market director Mona Warchol said in an email to vendors. “He is extremely supportive and wants the market to open immediately to provide an outdoor market for his community.”
Garden City Mayor John Evans told BoiseDev he authorized the move.
“I have authorized the 34th Street Market to open this Saturday,” he wrote. “There will be between 20 and 25 vendors open between 9 and 2. They operated last year and I am pleased to see them return this year.”
The 34th St. Market occurred on a weekday evening in past years. It will move to the Capital City Public Market’s timeslot on Saturdays in the Garden City location.
‘Really small market’
Warchol said it was “exciting that they are ready to open on a Saturday with a really small market.”
The market told vendors it would open on private property in the area.
Warchol said in her note to vendors she hopes to expand the market in coming weeks to additional space to add more vendors
“The private property is small so we can only open this Saturday, May 9th with 25 vendors,” she wrote. “I will be meeting with ACHD on Friday to secure the surrounding streets 34th Street & Carr Street for the future. The mayor said we are welcome to grow and add vendors to this market.”
Warchol would not detail if non-food vendors would be open at the market this week, but did not that “retail is open” in the state.
In pre-pandemic times, the Capital City Public Market attracted thousands to a series of outdoor booths featuring food, art, crafts and other locally-made goods.
“Please know that we will be doing everything in our power to get our summer season underway which means we need space for 100 + vendors,” Warchol wrote in her note to vendors. “This is a very difficult complicated time and we are navigating this so that the market survives.”
Permanent move?
Warchol’s note does not mention safety for vendors or potential visitors to the market.
When asked, she said the market “has a whole plan, with an entrance and exit and social distancing set up.”
She wouldn’t say if the move to Garden City was permanent, but said they would look at it “weekly.”
City of Boise officials suspended all special event permits for eight weeks starting in March. The city said it would accept applications for events taking place after May 11th.
Another outdoor market traditionally held downtown, the Boise Farmers Market, converted to a reservation-only drive-thru format and opened last month.
Updates with Evans’ comment, number of booths.
