Home Tommy Blog Eastern Market: Tremendous Loss
Eastern Market: Tremendous Loss |
Written by Charles Allen | ||||||
Monday, 30 April 2007 | ||||||
Page 2 of 4 (11) Untitled 2007-04-30 12:04:23 To those of us who have shopped at Eastern Market for years, the vendors are like family. Almost 30 years ago, the first time my mother visited me after my marriage, Mr. Calomiris, who then also sold flowers, insisted on giving me a big bouquet for her. For all these years, the Market has been not only a source of wonderful food and gifts but a real community for so many, on the Hill and off. Thanks, Tommy, for taking the lead on this. (12) Untitled 2007-04-30 12:15:24 On behalf of Mary Tierney: I do not know what I would do without Eastern Market. I became a regular customer when a friend of mine suggested that I buy my Christmas goose from Market Poultry. I called them and order the goose. I asked if they needed a "down payment" and the man said absolutely not. He said, if you took the trouble to call us, you will show up and pick up the goose. I will not buy anyone else's chickens, beef, fish, vegetables. I have my Christmas food shopping down to a science. I order the goose, vegetables, fruit, cheese ahead of time and pick it up and it is always ready for me. Customer service is what everyone is about. I drive over from Adams-Morgan to get my food. Please let us know what we can do. It would be great if you could keep us appraised of the progress. Mary Tierney, MD Written by Charles Allen (Super Administrator) (13) Untitled 2007-04-30 12:27:06 It is heartbreaking to see such an important part of D.C. life missing after the Eastern Market fire. Please, please do everything you can to get it rebuilt fast and get it rebuilt as it was. Although I now live in Arlington, I would do anything within my power to rebuild the Market. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Maybe the community can become involved through a Habitat for Humanity style project. Rebuilding the Market could bring all of us closer together. Written by Jessamyn Lloyd () (14) Untitled 2007-04-30 12:37:35 I hope it will be possible to bring it back close to Eastern Market's true spirit, a place for ALL DC residents, not just an upscale food emporium like, for example, Dean & Deluca. EVERYBODY loves Eastern Market, everybody loves the vendors and everybody is heartbroken. This will be a real test for the city. Can the city do it right without endless studies, consultants & planning meetings? Can the city rebuild quickly? There is a consensus in the community, we like Eastern Market the way it was with some modern safety upgrades. Don't spend millions hiring a team of high-priced consultants to tell you what you already know. (15) Untitled 2007-04-30 13:26:26 As a Capitol Hill homeowner, I to was saddened learn of the fire last night. I wanted to just provide one idea for a temporary solution. (Admittedly, without knowing the feasibility of this...). But is there any way to outfit the DC Armory to temporarily house some of the merchants/vendors? I realize this is not ideal for lots of reasons - but thought that maybe this could be a temporary fix. Written by Dan Zibel () (16) Untitled 2007-04-30 13:35:26 On behalf of Gail Moore: Tommy, The Eastern Market Fire is tragic. Although I don't live on the Hill anymore, I try to make it over there at least once a month. Last year I held a gumbo fundraiser for a friend who was in Afghanistan, "Operation Marine Angel" The Inmans and the Calomiris helped make it a huge success by donating veggies and chicken. I simply asked and they said "sure whatever we can do". In that spirit, I was wondering if there is any way we can help out the vendors? I'm sure the building will be restored, but I'm concerned with the immediate livelihood of the vendors and those who work for them at the market. These people are the heart and soul of the Market. If you know of a fund, or if someone is creating one, please let me know. Thanks Written by Charles Allen (Super Administrator) (17) Untitled 2007-04-30 14:17:56 Below is a reposted comment to Marc Fisher's Wash Post Blog in an effort to jump start ideas to solve the problem instead of lamenting. "DerbyHouse had the same idea I have been mulling over since 3:30 in the morning, when I woke up to an amazing amount of fire trucks outside of my house. The roof on the southern end was literally glowing red. I too am deeply saddened, but I keep it in perspective. What burned was a building and what is seemingly lost is a sense of home. People were not hurt, violent or otherwise, and for that I am grateful. This is a tragedy that can be solved, unlike so many others in the world at the moment. 7th street is a seldom-used street, relative to others in the city. Locals often avoid driving down it because of the tight quarters and odd access to neighboring streets. As structural concerns may keep vendors away from the green awning, the roadway of 7th street is a fine location for temporarily relocating the interior vendors for seven days a week commerce, until the building can be rebuilt. Detroit's own Eastern Market (easternmarket dot org) hosts a large amount of vendors that sell meats, cheeses, veggies, etc. in an outdoor setting. Put on your thinking caps and imagine 7th street closed for a year during renovation. Tall tall white tents with a solid aluminum frames line 7th and C street to 7th and North Carolina. All the interior vendors that we all love have a semi-permanent setups under those tents, possibly with refrigeration trucks or units to back them up. We are after all dealing with meats and cheeses. Maybe even supplementary refrigeration units are placed inside the market 5 gallery from where we often hear dance lessons going on Thursday nights. Across from the Eastern Market building the city allows the weekend outside vendors special permission to setup very gingerly around Tunnicliffs, Petite Gourmet, and Port City. The area outside of the Market 5 Gallery remains open to outside vendors with some well placed shrubbery to guide peoples attention away from the building and the green awning and direct them into the street. People have stated that the outdoor vendors should continue on. And as an outdoor vendor I plan to continue if at all possible. However, I realize that the Calomirises, Canales, Inmans, and the rest that comprise the interior of the Eastern Market building are the corner stone of the weekend's festivities. Without them we are salesman outside of a burnt building. And for the weekend outside vendors to survive the neighborhood needs to feel that the whole of the market will continue. This is just one idea, but it is a start to a solution that should include all the people we love to see each weekend. I don't want to go a year without Jack's cheese or a crab cake sandwich! To all those reading this blog, if you know someone that can help please play the six degrees of separation game to get our wishes and ideas known to the mayor." (18) Untitled 2007-04-30 14:27:05 I no longer live on the Hill having moved to NY several years ago, but I was in town visiting this weekend and made my regular saturday pilgramage to Eastern Market. I have always missed the community and can only think of the many mornings spent at the market. It has been a gathering place for my friends and family, the first place I take out of towners, and a constant in an ever changing city. I nearly cried this morning when a friend sent an email with the news. I hope that by my next visit there is a functioning market. Written by Guest User () (19) Untitled 2007-04-30 14:38:05 what about using Hine as a temporary easternMarket-- at least plan on it for the summer time when school is out. Written by Guest User () (20) Untitled 2007-04-30 15:24:55 Turning loss around. I’m advocating that we focus on opportunity rather than loss. Yes, the Market burning is a terrible shock. And now, we have the chance to make it even better than it was by supporting the existing vendors through whatever transition time is necessary for rebuilding. I’ve suggested to Market Poultry and a couple of other people, that a website be set up where shoppers can place prepaid orders for pick up on weekends. As a previous commenter noted, many of us who shop the Market regularly, plan our purchases in advance. Using an ecommerce site for such a purpose will keep the money flowing directly into the vendors’ hands (thus, supporting the entire supply chain) and help consumers to maintain access to the products they want. I’d be happy to help in this endeavor and am looking forward to taking each and every opportunity to support the rebuilding of the Market with its heart intact. Someone said to me this morning that the fabric of the neighborhood is torn. NOT SO! We still live here. The building may need work and the vendors need support, but the community is as strong as ever. Someone else lamented that ‘it will never be the same.’ In a few ways, that isn’t actually a bad thing. The infrastructure of the building needed renovation for decades. Now, the infighting and power struggles that kept that from happening are moot. It is painful. No denying that. But it also possible. If we continue to pull together, as so many communities who have suffered similar shocks, we can make the Market even better.
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