by Christopher Reynolds
The Flint Farmers Market is celebrating a decade at its downtown facility this summer.
The market moved to 300 E. First St. from its former space along the riverfront at 420 E. Boulevard Drive a little over 10 years ago. Since then, it has become a central place of commerce and gathering in downtown Flint’s skyline.
The market moved to its current location, the former Flint Journal building, in 2014, after over 70 years on Flint’s near north side.
Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, the market’s owner and operator since 2002, reportedly spent around $32 million on redeveloping the former printing press facility into the events and vendor space it is today, along with demolishing the nearby, vacant Genesee Towers as part of the project.
Chuck Gurden, a downtown resident who manages an online community food blog called “Ate One Oh” said this about the move: “Obviously moving from the riverfront to the downtown was huge, huge positive for the market. They gave it more visibility downtown and gave the community more of a community.”
Gurden noted that the more visible location from downtown — close to Saginaw Street and near the University of Michigan-Flint campus — “really boosted” the space.
Flint Farmers’ Market (Photo by Paul R. Burley, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
“People started to realize everything that the market had to offer from food and restaurants, to getting produce to basically getting everything downtown,” he said.
While the move was viewed as somewhat controversial at the time, the market’s new location nearer the Flint Mass Transportation Authority’s Transit Center opened up opportunities for more local shoppers of diverse incomes to patronize its vendors, according to a 2016 report.
George Marzonie, who works and lives in downtown Flint, said he relies on the market for his needs.
“I have a close relationship to the market as someone who has frequented [it] the last ten years,” he told East Village Magazine in July. He said he goes there for “the convenience factor,” but he would be interested in some changes after a decade in operation.
“I would love to see expanded hours,” he explained, to allow downtown residents to shop “at least until 7 p.m.”
(The market currently operates Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aside from the Market Tap, a bar on the markets second floor that stays open until 9 p.m.)
“[That] guarantees that when I get off work, I have an opportunity to purchase groceries,” he said.
Marzonie wasn’t the only downtown resident who wanted to see extended hours. Kevin Dunaway also said it would “be great for [the market] to be open more” so downtown Flintstones would have more opportunity to shop after 5 p.m. for their essentials.
The Farmers Market has around 500,000 customers a year, according to a June 2024 Flint Farmers’ Market press release, which also noted the market has around 45 seasonal vendors in its indoor space.
Mitch Karas, who has owned Bagels on the Run in the market for four years, said he has found success with his eatery, which features fresh bagels and handmade cream cheeses. “After Covid went away the crowd started coming back,” he said. “And people love bagels, so it’s been a very, very good business.”
Maria Hills, owner of Hills Cheese, another indoor vendor, told EVM that she’s seen sales increasing since opening in the market, and being downtown “feels right because it’s such an outstanding market.”
The market’s outdoor pavilion features a rotating variety of vendors, from area farms to local artisans.
Winter Fresh Greenhouse from Birch Run, Mich. has been a vendor for eight years, and Ed Shallot, its owner, said, “We’ve done really well and plan to keep coming until I decide to retire.”
Shallot added that he does hope to see more people downtown once all of the area’s current construction is fully complete, which included the closure of multiple lengths of Saginaw Street this summer and last summer.
Prior to its downtown move, the market was recognized nationally as one of the best farmers’ markets for travelers in a 2010 CNN article, and the markets’ new location was also mentioned in a 2015 Thrillist story headlined “Top 10 Markets to See Before You Die.”
Market manager Karianne Martus did not respond to EVM’s requests for comment on the market’s anniversary, hours, data on current and former vendors, or potential future plans.
However, in a prepared statement regarding the market’s anniversary celebration, she said, “We are so grateful for all our wonderful customers, near and far, who have supported us over the years! We are proud of the welcoming place we have created and the credit for that goes to all of the amazing family businesses that make up this market and our fantastic staff who keep our market safe, clean, and ready for business!”
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