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Farmers Markets

Soulard Farmers’ Market

DESCRIPTION: Historic Soulard Market, owned and operated by the city of St. Louis, is the oldest farmers’ market in the country. Farmers and other vendors sell their products from a series of outdoor and indoor stalls Wednesday through Saturday. Some stalls have been in the same family for several generations. Reminiscent of an old train terminal, the Market has two outdoor wings under roofs supported by steel girders. The wings, linked by a building that houses butcher shops, a bakery, a spice shop and a snack shop are busiest on Saturday, the busiest day of the week at Soulard. The market is a cacophony of colors and sounds with mounds of red, yellow, orange and green fruits and vegetables on display, caged live chickens and merchants yelling from their stalls. People come from all over the area to take advantage of the Market’s low prices and fresh produce. The surrounding neighborhood has many interesting restaurants, clubs and shops.

ADDRESS: Seventh & Lafayette Streets, St. Louis, MO 63104

LOCATION: The market is bounded by Seventh, Julia, Ninth and Carroll less than five minutes south of Downtown St. Louis.

PHONE NUMBER: 314-622-4180

WEB SITE: http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/soulardmarket

GETTING THERE: From downtown St. Louis, take Broadway south about one mile. The market is on the right.

HOURS: Wed. - Fri., 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Sat., 6 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

ADMISSION: Free

ANNUAL ATTENDANCE: 500,000

WHAT’S NEW: The Market sponsors a chef program each Saturday in September and October when some of the best local chefs do cooking demonstrations.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• More than 70 vendors sell produce, meat, fish, dairy items, spices and baked goods, as well as decorative items, imported goods, clothing and jewelry.
• Visitors can arrange their own bouquets from the fresh cut flowers at one of the stalls.
• Street musicians often add to the festive atmosphere at the Market on Saturdays.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: There is a playground in Soulard Park, a park adjacent to the Market, and Soulard Market is considered a “very hot spot” for school field trips.

ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: Each year, the Soulard neighborhood celebrates Mardi Gras just prior to the beginning of Lent, and it marks its French heritage with a Bastille Day celebration each July.

HISTORY: According to the St. Louis Landmarks Association, Soulard Market had its inception in 1779. In the market’s early years, farmers would bring their wares to town in their wagons, form them in a circle with the horses tethered in the center, and customers would walk around the circle shopping from wagon to wagon.

Antoine Pierre Soulard, a native of Rochefort, France, who came to St. Louis in 1795, owned the land that the market is situated on. Soulard, a lieutenant in the Royal Army, sailed for America and landed in Marblehead, Massachusetts after escaping the guillotine in the French Revolution. When he learned that the French predominantly populated St. Louis at that time, he made his way to Pittsburgh and then to St. Louis via a keelboat.

Shortly after his arrival in St. Louis, Soulard married Julia Cerre, daughter of Gabriel Cerre, a Kaskaskia, Illinois merchant who owned large tracts of land near St. Louis. Julia Cerre’ sister, Therese, was married to Auguste Chouteau, one of the founders of St. Louis. Soulard was appointed surveyor general of the whole province of Upper Louisiana and acquired a great deal of land in the area now known as Soulard. After he resigned several months later, he maintained one of the finest fruit orchards in the St. Louis area. He died in 1825.

Soulard, St. Louis’ oldest surviving residential neighborhood, dates back to 1836 when Julia Soulard, Antoine’s widow, began subdividing the family estate. When Julia died in 1845, she gave the city two blocks of her subdivision with the stipulation that it remain a market “in perpetuity” or its deed would revert to the Soulard heirs. The first Soulard Market House was authorized for construction in 1843, but it was destroyed by a tornado in 1896. Two sheds served as the market until 1928 when the present Italian Renaissance structure was completed. A. Osberg, the architect, modeled the south entrance of the Market after the Foundling Hospital in Florence, one of the first masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS: Soulard Market is handicapped accessible.

WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There is a snack bar in the Market, and there are many restaurants in the Soulard neighborhood.

GIFT SHOP: Several vendors in the market sell gift items, and visitors can purchase canvas shopping bags with colorful Soulard logos on the front at the market manager’s office.

WHAT’S NEARBY: Nearby are Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, Anheuser Busch Brewery and the Cherokee Antique District. The Soulard neighborhood is famous for its blues music clubs, restaurants, and unique-to-St. Louis red brick homes that combine elements of French, Spanish and German styles.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Sandra Zak, Market Manager, 314-613-3198, market@stlouis.missouri.org

Clayton Farmer’s Market

DESCRIPTION: Clayton Farmer’s Market is a unique produce market that is a collaboration of area farmers, local artists and chefs. It is a true old-fashioned “farmer’s market” in that the people who sell food at the market actually grow it. In addition to farm-fresh food, the Market offers cooking demonstrations, live music and plenty of sampling. The Market is open weekly from mid-May through September.

SLOGAN: Home grown, home made and hand crafted.

ADDRESS: 8282 Forsyth Boulevard (west parking lot of Straub’s Market), Clayton, MO 63105

LOCATION: West St. Louis County, in the Clayton Triangle

PHONE NUMBER: 314-398-9729

WEB SITE: www.claytonfarmersmarket.com

GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-64/40 West to Exit 31A-B (Brentwood Boulevard). Merge onto I-170 North via Exit 31B. Take the Ladue Road Exit 1F. Turn right on Ladue Road. Ladue Road becomes Maryland Avenue. Turn slight right onto Forsyth Boulevard.

HOURS: The Market is open from approximately mid-May through September, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Saturday.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS: Clayton Farmer’s Market is handicapped accessible.

ADMISSION: Free

WHAT’S NEW: When the outdoor market season ends in October, the Market becomes the Winter Pantry and moves to a new venue at the Center of Clayton, the city’s community center, where many of the same merchants will sell their goods indoors.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Market draws approximately 24 farmer-vendors each week selling a wide variety of fresh produce including organically grown products.
• Fresh breads and pastries are featured from the Companion Baking Company and pies are sold by Pie in the Sky.
• Cheeses and local wines from The Wine Merchant are sold at the Market.
• Farmers discuss sustainable organic practices each week.
• Representatives of the St. Louis University Nutrition and Dietetics Department answer questions and give information on healthy eating.
• Straub’s provides education and sampling of local produce.
• Local artists are featured each week, giving them an opportunity to showcase their work.
• The Farmer’s Market features live music by local musicians.

HISTORY: Clayton Farmer’s Market was formed in the summer of 2000 to bring fresh foods and local chefs together and to give customers an opportunity to purchase organic foods.

WHAT’S COMING UP: Plans are also underway to develop several hands-on exhibits such as a worm box and butterfly and bee displays to show visitors how insects help farmers grow food.

WHERE TO GET LUNCH: Each week a dietitian prepares a different dish and portions are sold at the Market. Random guest chefs also prepare various dishes that are also sold to Market customers. There are also many restaurants in the Clayton neighborhood along the streets surrounding the market.

GIFT SHOP: There is no gift shop. Visiting cookbook authors sell their books when they visit, and farmers also sell books about Missouri farms.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: Children can meet farmers who grow the food they eat and some weeks there are activities for children.

WHAT’S NEARBY: Shops on the Clayton Triangle. The St. Louis Galleria shopping mall and Forest Park with the world-famous Saint Louis Zoo, the Science Center, Saint Louis Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum, are all within close driving or MetroLink distance.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Sarah Vickers, market master, 314-398-9729, sbvickers@gmail.com

Kirkwood Farmers’ Market

DESCRIPTION: Kirkwood Farmers’ Market is an open-air market in Kirkwood, Missouri, the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi River. In addition to produce and fruit, Market vendors sell plants and fresh cut flowers, bread, meats and ready-to-eat food. The market is in “Kirkwood Junction,” a shopping area so named because of its proximity to Kirkwood Station, a quaint, historic railway station. The station, built in 1893 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is still used as an AMTRAK stop. Kirkwood is a user-friendly town with no parking meters, pay lots or parking garages. Getting around Kirkwood Junction and the market is easy. There is plenty of street parking near the market, and the shops in the business district are within walking distance from there.

ADDRESS: 150 E. Argonne, Kirkwood, MO 63122

LOCATION: West St. Louis County

PHONE NUMBER: 314-822-0084

WEB SITE: www.kirkwoodjunction.com

GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-44 West to the Lindbergh exit. Turn north on Lindbergh and follow it approximately one mile to Kirkwood Junction. Just past the railroad tracks, turn right on Argonne. The Market is on the right.

HOURS: Open April - September, Thursday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Friday - Saturday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. During October the market turns into the Pumpkin Patch, a fall market with items for sale and activities for children. From Thanksgiving through Christmas visitors will find the Christmas Market where trees, holiday greenery, Christmas decorations, candy and nuts are sold. Otherwise, the market is closed October - March.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS: Kirkwood Farmers’ Market is handicapped accessible.

ADMISSION: Free

WHAT’S NEW: Kirkwood Farmers’ Market is expanding its special events schedule to include a catered dinner, barbecue, art show and a homegrown contest.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Market offers a large array of home grown and shipped-in produce, including Summit Farms, which has been selling its produce and fruit at the market for 20 years.
• Several other produce and food vendors sell produce including a stand that sells peaches and apples from Eckert’s, a local family farm that grows fruit in nearby Illinois.
• Starr-B-Q specializes in selling barbecued and smoked foods, and customers can purchase Discovery Toys from a stand at the market. Filipino and other ethnic foods are available at Café Manila.
• Hanging in the Market are seven large paintings of fruits and vegetables that artist Siegfried Reinhardt created for the opening of the Market 25 years ago. Reinhardt is noted for his aviation mural at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: The Market holds the Festival of Food and Flowers, an event celebrating food and flowers each May, with live music and food from Kirkwood restaurants; a barbecue to honor local police and firefighters; and Dog Days, which includes a pet parade and pet contests. A Halloween Walk is held each October.

HISTORY: The Kirkwood Farmers’ Market was started in 1976 as an American Bicentennial project to create a gathering place in downtown Kirkwood for residents and visitors, and as a place where local farmers could sell their produce. Through the years, the market has changed considerably with more non-food items being sold at the Market.

WHERE TO GET LUNCH: Café Manilla serves a variety of Filipino and other ethnic foods. Starr-B-Q specializes in barbecued and smoked foods.

GIFT SHOP: There are several gift and specialty shops in the Kirkwood Junction area.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: Children love the hay maze and other activities when the market becomes the Pumpkin Patch each October.

WHAT’S NEARBY: Nearby are the Magic House, St. Louis’ Children’s Museum; Laumeier Sculpture Park; the Museum of Transportation; Mudd’s Grove, a historic home, and the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Donna Poe, executive director of Kirkwood Junction Special Business District, 314-822-0084, sbd@kirkwoodmo.org

Market in the Loop

DESCRIPTION: Located in the eclectic Loop Neighborhood, the University City Farmers’ Market features several vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables and ready-to-eat foods. An indoor section of the Market houses a fish market, a hamburger stand, pizzeria, bead shop and a shop that sells silver jewelry.

SLOGAN: Forget The Supermarkets And Shop At A Market That’s Super

ADDRESS: 6655 Delmar, University City, MO 63130 (The building houses several shops, and the open air market is in the rear.)

LOCATION: Mid St. Louis County

PHONE NUMBER: There is no direct number to the Market. Call 636-207-9880 to reach Todd Schowalter, the Market’s public relations representative.

WEB SITE: www.creativeon-line.com/marketintheloop.html

GETTING THERE: From downtown St. Louis, take I64/40 West to Exit 34B (Clayton Road/ Skinker Blvd. and go west for 0.4 miles. Turn right on S. Skinker Blvd. and go north for 1.5 miles. Turn left on Delmar and proceed a half-mile to 6655 Delmar. The market is on the right.

HOURS: The indoor market is open seven days a week usually from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. although the hours fluctuate sometimes. The outdoor produce market is open Thursday - Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS: Market in the Loop is handicapped accessible.

ADMISSION: Free

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Long Acre Farms and Garden To Go sell fresh produce, and Bob’s Seafood sells fresh ocean seafood from around the world including mussels from Canada, grouper from the Gulf, Northwest oysters and sword and tuna from around the world.
• Mama’s Coal Pot sells a variety of barbequed American food including ribs, pork steaks, chicken, hot links, hamburgers and smoked meats.
• Visitors can enjoy Chinese food to eat in or carry out at Wong’s Wok, and Nigerian cuisine is the specialty at Fatima’s African Cuisine. Racanelli’s New York Pizza, located in the indoor Market, sells authentic New York style pizza made with hand-tossed dough and baked in a brick oven.
• Zuma Beach Bead Co. sells a wide selection of beads including sterling silver and 18 karat gold beads, loose or by the strand, freshwater pearls, gemstones from India including amethyst, aquamarine, quartz crystal, garnet, smoky topaz and spinel ruby, an assortment of Swarovski crystal and Czech and Japanese Delcia seed beads.
• The Silver Lady carries silver jewelry from around the world including all-sterling pieces and sterling with turquoise and other semi precious stones. The shop is the exclusive retailer for the “Elements” collection of sterling and 18 karat gold jewelry by John Atencio, silversmith and jeweler from Denver.

HISTORY: The original outdoor Market in the Loop grew out of an urban renewal project of the 1960’s. Construction began in 1974 on the suggestion of a citizens’ group after fire destroyed the last remaining grocery stores in the Loop. The Market opened in April 1975. In 1989, an indoor section fronting Delmar was opened as part of the market. About the same time, the Market, which had been owned by the city, was sold to businessman Dan Wald. Wald refurbished the building and brought in new markets to the outdoor venue to turn Market in the Loop into a thriving marketplace that residents and visitors alike enjoy patronizing.

SPECIAL EVENTS: The Market schedules regular promotions throughout the year, usually once every three months. In the summer an outdoor music series with live bands is held at the Market, and during the holiday season, the market sponsors a holiday celebration that’s part of the Loop’s Holiday Walk.

WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are several places in the Market to have lunch or dinner, and there are many eclectic and ethnic restaurants in the Loop.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: Kids enjoy the musical entertainment scheduled from time to time at the market.

WHAT’S NEARBY: Nearby are the Pageant Theatre, the Tivoli Theatre, Craft Alliance Gallery and the eclectic shops and restaurants of the Loop Neighborhood.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Todd Schowalter, public relations representative, 636-207-9880, todd@creativeon-line.com

Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com