To Market, To Market
By Chattanooga Magazine Staff

Chattanooga Market is a popular cultural venue that Chattanoogans anticipate early in the spring, both as a place to find fresh locally-grown produce and as a place to enjoy activities that bring the community together throughout Tennessee's substantial growing season.

"It's almost like going to a country fair every weekend," says one patron. With live music, excellent concessions and weekly themes, local vendors of comestibles and crafts find a ready market for their products. In the spring, nurserymen even sell fruit trees and flowering shrubs to market-goers.

Chris Thomas purchased the Market two years ago and re-branded it. Now a non-profit organization, the Chattanooga Public Market is his gift to the city.

"As we look forward to 2010, we are wanting to expand the Market, although we are limited geographically, and continue to grow it as we have done in the past two seasons, says Thomas. "One of our primary purposes is to provide Chattanoogans with an opportunity to help sustain our local craftsmen and farmers, and ultimately give back to the City.

"We want to continue to grow our agriculture segment, especially as we feel that it has become so important to know where your food is coming from and eating local foods." Thomas is also thankful for sponsors like Coca-Cola, Electric Power Board and First Tennessee Bank for their support.

Chattanooga Market has become a family and friends gathering spot for Sunday afternoons. Market-goers typically come early after church for lunch in the cafe, buy their weekly produce then, shop around to see what's new from our craftsmen and artists. It's a formula that seems to work for Chattanooga.

Melissa Siragusa, director of marketing, says the most successful programs always seem to be the "foodie" events such as the cook-offs and of course the annual Oktoberfest event-which will be a two-day event in the First Tennessee Pavilion in 2010. The only other two-day event to date is the Holiday Market and Winter Roast on the very last weekend of the seasonal market series. The Mothers' Day Toast and CultureFest were also big this year.

"Our farmers, as well as the vendors who provide ready-to-eat foods in the cafŽ, always do very well," Siragusa says. "Again fresh, local food is key."

With over 135 vendors providing unique arts, jewelry, soaps, candles, furniture, and various other items, there is always something interesting for shoppers. And vendors appreciate the opportunity to talk to customers one-on-one. "For many, we are their only storefront," says Paul Smith, Chattanooga Market's general manager. "We track sales in many different ways to ensure that only those vendors who are successful at what they make and sell continue to have booths at the Market."

Vendors like Jackie Drew with Chickamauga Candy Company is in her second season at the Market. She believes it's a good value for small companies like hers.

"It's been a very positive experience," Drew says. "It's a great venue for the exposure of my product to a diverse group of people." Drew makes old-fashioned peanut brittle. This year she has branched out to include almond, cashew and pecan brittle. She purchases all her nuts from farm distributors to insure the freshest ingredients, a strategy that obviously works and keeps customers coming back for more. Over the past two seasons her company has cultivated standing orders for candies to be used as holiday gifts among office employees.

Chris Thomas and his team say the constant challenge is to keep the offerings at Chattanooga Market original, authentic, and to rotate a variety of products so that market-goers have a reason to come back every week. He says, "It's a varied and wonderful experience every time you come."