Downtown Phoenix's recently reconstructed Arizona Center is now welcoming a new farmers market every Wednesday from 4-8 p.m.
The market first opened in late January and vendors include the Arizona Bread Company, Big Red’s Hot Sauce and Doctor Hummus. However, the Arizona Center Farmers Market provides not only food options, but accessories and home goods as well for ASU students and other downtown Phoenix residents passing through.
As for vendors, the market offers an entire new wave of customers.
Salomon Aliser, manager of the market, said that the market's goal is to serve the community by connecting residents with vendors.
"For us, the residents are everything," Aliser said. "We're in a really good spot, and I think we'll really be able to support our vendors and community."
Jayson Khademi, one of the founders of the food truck and catering business, Saffron JAK, said that the location provides a better connection to the community and also helps the vendors stand out to visitors.
“A lot of times markets are just set up in parking lots, but this has really great scenery,” Khademi said. “It feels classy.”
Khademi said that because of downtown Phoenix's walkability, farmers markets are often more accessible than grocery stores.
“There are a few thousand people within a quarter mile area here,” he said. “Parking sucks, there’s a lot of pedestrian and bike traffic down here and it’s like that by design. This is a great area for what we're doing.”
Saffron JAK first started as a food truck, and now Khademi and his brother have expanded with the openings of a cafe and bakery. The duo was the Arizona Foothills Magazine’s Best Valley Food truck winner of 2016.
Tyler Sellers, co-owner of Concentrated Earth, said that the market gives small businesses a place to shine.
Concentrated Earth sells electroformed jewelry, a process that starts with copper paint and acid solutions and ends with copper growing on the piece of jewelry over the course of a few days.
Sellers said that the location offers convenience for customers and opportunity for vendors.
“I think college students are going to be great when it comes to sales, and the business people walk out of their building and we’re right there,” Sellers said.
Brandon Plascencia, a downtown Phoenix resident and freshman majoring in biology, said that the market will offer students more options for food and shopping.
“It’s something new," Plascencia said. "There isn’t much around here for students, especially, to do. If there’s a market right here, then yeah I’m going to go.”
Plascencia, who works in the Arizona Center, said visitors and students often ask where the nearest grocery store is — a resource that isn't within walkable distance for certain residents. Currently, the closest grocery store to ASU's downtown Phoenix campus is a Safeway on McDowell Road and Seventh Street, which is a 20 minute walk or five minute drive away.
However, construction of a new Fry's Food and Drug between Washington Street and Jefferson Avenue is set to finish in October 2019.
“Opening that farmers market will bring more competition, which will be good because we really don’t have very many options down here for what we buy,” Plascencia said.
The market will be open year-round and vendors including Khademi and Sellers said they hope to see growth as the year goes on.
Reach the reporter at kreinha3@asu.edu and follow @ReinhartKatelyn on Twitter.
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