The Austin Town Hall City Market on Thursdays is now open for the 2024 season, and it includes an array of new offerings.
At the start of this year’s market June 6, nearly 90 shoppers visited 10 vendors and four community organizations at Austin Town Hall, organizers said.
This year’s new additions include Bennett Farms from Michigan, who will bring grass-fed meat, eggs, milk and fresh butter to the market every week.
“That’s something that you don’t even see if you go to a grocery store in our area,” said Market Manager Veah Larde, who was born and raised in Austin.
Bot Bakery is another new vendor this year, selling vegan and gluten-free baked goods. According to Larde, visitors said their items were delicious and they couldn’t tell they were vegan and gluten-free.
“That means something,” Larde said. The market had vegan vendors last season that she said people were scared to try.
“We’re trying to have the community think about food differently and eat more health-conscious.”
During the market’s opening day, two vendors sold out of their goods: Uncle Earl’s BBQ and Sweet Comfort Creations, which sells peach cobbler.
“I was grateful to see the community light up to see such diverse vendors,” Larde said.
Forty Acres Fresh Market helps host the market, selling its own produce, along with that from other vendors who are unable to make it to the market.
But the market is more than just vendors. On June 6, community organizations Chicago Grows Food, Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative, the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General and Chicago Muslims Green Team were also in attendance.
Market programming included massage therapy and stretching, plus seedling kits for kids from the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Through a partnership with the University of Illinois Extension, the market is putting on cooking demonstrations. On the fourth Thursday of the month, Chef Daniel Hammond, an affiliate of Weber Grill, will teach visitors his grilling techniques.
Austin Town Hall City Market will also host clinicians to discuss dietary and medical issues with visitors. On June 6, a representative from CARPLS Legal Aid offered free legal advice on things like housing.
‘A call to pull community together’
The Austin Town Hall City Market started in 2012, when Mayor Rahm Emanuel created five new Chicago markets in food deserts, where grocery options aren’t easily accessible.
The markets were established so that people in those areas could get affordable food, health and wellness services by bus or train. The markets accept cash, credit, SNAP and LINK, helping to stimulate the local economy by keeping money in the community.
One of the five markets was in Humboldt Park, and the rest were in Austin, though at least two of those locations are no longer operating, according to Larde.
“People did not realize they were there, so they were not highly attended,” Larde said about why she thinks the markets at La Follette Park and Columbus Park may have closed.
When Larde became market manager at the start of the 2023 season, she said she had big plans for how she wanted to grow the Austin Town Hall City Market. Last year, she added new vendors Kribi Coffee of Forest Park and Vulgar Vegan Cupcake, plus a seating area.
“I wanted to make sure that people knew it wasn’t grandma’s market,” Larde said. “It was actually more of a call to pull community together, a call to give people somewhere safe to be and to know that we would have things that were relevant to what the community was asking for.”
Understanding local needs and wants was one of the most crucial points for Larde when she became manager. What she heard from attending community meetings and events was that locals wanted staples, specifically produce and meat.
Delivering on those staples positively affected the market, according to Larde. She said that, in past years, the market regularly saw 20 to 40 visitors. In 2023, attendance was consistently between 65 and 85 visitors, reaching up to 165, the highest attendance the market has seen since it started.
“We answered some of the call in 2023 and we’re continuing that mission now,” Larde said. She talked to several people who had never been to the market or came when it first started and didn’t think it was for them. But this year, they are already expressing interest in the vendors and programming.
“I’m grateful to be back in Austin and to be able to show the community that it wasn’t a one-time thing,” Larde said. “This season is going to be amazing.”
The Austin Town Hall City Market is every Thursday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St.