Sorry it's been quiet over here at Ye Olde Market Blog of late, but here I am to catch up a bit. I was gone for 10 days on a trip to London, England, to see my husband win an
Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy for his work with Aprovecho Research Center on fuel efficient stoves. An exciting reason to go on a trip, with the wonderful side effect of going one of my favorite places on earth, which just happens to be filled with fabulous markets!
But before I left for London, I had a sweet Market Moment at the end of the day on June 6. I was grabbing last minute food and a nice gentleman came up and asked me if I was "the lady that takes the pictures and posts them on the internet." "That's me!" I said. He asked if I would come and take a picture of him and his family. "Of course!" I said. He - Jim - and his wife - Kelly - proceeded to tell me about how they came all the way from Colorado with their kids just to visit the Market! He's in the Air Force, and moves around a lot, and they have been trying to figure out where to land eventually. They'd come across Eugene in their research, and the Market, and fell in love, via the internet, with the place. They read my blog (hi Kelly!), they look at the photos, and chatting with them I could tell it already felt a bit like home as soon as they arrived. Kelly's even familiar with many of the crafters who sell on Etsy. What an exciting way to end a Market day! I left feeling all happy and ready to set out on my own market loving adventure. Here's that photo I took, Jim and Kelly and their kids at their first ever Saturday Market. I know they'll be back some day.
So fast forward a few days and I was in London, trekking all over the place, hitting the museums and stores, and of course the markets. This one is the Borough Market, made recently familiar to many as the groovy place where Jamie Oliver shops for great ingredients for his various TV cooking shows. It is indeed a beautiful market, full of fresh and prepared foods, just like our neighbors over at Farmers' Market, but with a glorious lofty cast iron and glass roof built in the 1880s. Of course it was packed, even in the middle of a week day, and I happily sampled Turkish Delight and Creme Caramel and had a fresh squeezed beetroot, carrot, apple and ginger juice at a place that would easily be quite popular here.
Oh, for a roof like this over our Farmers' Market!! I bet folks would appreciate Lane County pricing, though.
Covent Garden is another famous market, like our market in that everything, at least in the main market, appears to be handcrafted, and there are buskers and musicians everywhere! And another beautiful roof. In this Market, crafters peacefully co-exist (presumably) with fashionable boutiques in the buildings between the airy roofed market halls.
My favorite, though, was the Camden Market, or really, the many Camden markets and all the Eugene-style boutique-y shops all over. There were classic European style clothing markets, where everything is jammed together in a warren of never ending clothing racks. Claustrophobic for some, treasure hunt for others!
Camden Locks Market was beautiful. A year ago in January there was a fire there, which destroyed the infrastructure that had been building since the late 70s when the Market started. So to rebuild, they chose to provide these 10x10 prefab garden sheds in long rows. All of them have electricity, and they seem to be rented by specific folks - no nomadic vendors. It was really sweet and orderly, yet had plenty of the individuality that we expect from a great market. It was still early when I was there, so not bustling too much yet.
It sits right along the Regent's Canal, in a neighborhood that feels very much like 13th St at the U of O. We sat in a little natural foods cafe along the canal and drank Yogi tea - from Eugene - and felt right at home. I like to think it's all those Markets that make the neighborhood so Eugene-like and comfy!
Then it was time to come home to my own market. There is no place like home, it turns out. With a renewed perspective on the place, I can see how Kelly and Jim felt drawn to it, and how we have a perfect market right in our own back yard! Each market seems to distill the essence of the place that it's located, and give essential character as well. We are all lucky to have markets in our midst!
