Finding Common Ground: Edinboro Market Expands, Creates Opportunities to Connect

Contributed

Livia Homerski, who began working for the Edinboro Market in 2021, feels confident standing behind the products they offer, specifically the fact that so many of their offerings are ethically raised and sourced.

On a sunny Friday afternoon, local farmers Xinyang and George Sylves unloaded dozens of fresh chicken eggs — a hot commodity — into the back of the newly expanded Edinboro Market at 211 Mill St. in Edinboro.

"What's awesome about this market — and I've been to a lot of markets — this market has its shit together," George proclaimed.

The new market space was buzzing as people filtered in to grab meals and friends caught up in the cafe. In the kitchen, chef Rusty Blumish prepared an apple dessert while operations manager and co-founder Curtis Hals rolled up the dough for his chocolate espresso cookies.

After more than doubling its size, Edinboro Market is expanding its services, too. Reminiscent of an Old World market in Western Europe, Edinboro Market intends to be a community center for commerce and gathering rather than just a storefront.

George walked out of the kitchen, telling partner Xinyang, "I just told Curtis that next year, we're going to start selling cucumbers, and we're going to have cucumbers from early spring until late fall."

The two producers own Highland Farm and Gardens in Meadville, which started as a hobby farm and transformed into a full-scale business in 2021.

They now have alpaca, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, thousands of pawpaw trees, and more. The market is what they believe is a first step in the right direction for local growers and artisans.

"All I have to do is bring them up and drop them off, and they do all the work — paperwork, selling, labeling, advertising — and we go back and work on the farm. And that's what we need to do," George explained.

Pawpaw trees bear a sweet fruit with a custard-like texture that tastes similar to banana and mango. Xinyang explained that pawpaw fruit have a short season and shelf life, so she's excited about the market's new commercial kitchen, which she can use to preserve them frozen or as ice cream. "A value-added product," she said.

The market, which opened in 2017 as a nonprofit focused on serving producers and consumers, has gone from its 900-square-foot space to over 1,500 square feet of retail space, along with a cafe, commercial kitchen, and a storage and loading area in the back.

The market began implementing its expansion plans in 2023 when it received federal grant money from the Appalachian Regional Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The market was required to match the $663,699 it requested, which it was able to do with funds from Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA), Erie Community Foundation, a philanthropic donation, and the purchase of the building, which previously sat vacant behind the Tim Horton's on Edinboro's main stretch.

 Rusty Blumish and Curtis Hals work in the communal kitchen space available at the newly expanded Edinboro Market. This kitchen is the first licensed shared-use kitchen in Erie County and allows anyone to rent it by the hour. (Photo: Contributed)

Marti Martz, co-founder of the Edinboro Market alongside Hals, explained that "the commercial kitchen is the first licensed shared-use kitchen in Erie County. Food producers, farmers, anybody, can rent that kitchen by the hour and sell their product in a retail outlet. Because again, if it's sold in a retail outlet, it has to be produced in a certified commercial kitchen." Growers like Xinyang can use the space to extend their season and profit on products year-round.

The cafe area, which will double as a classroom, is around 400 square feet. The market will work with programs like Erie Farm to School to introduce students to farming and culinary careers. The program is already established, but Edinboro Market provides a classroom space and a county-city connection.

There will also be cooking classes for residents of all ages beginning in May. Topics include making sourdough bread, fermenting foods, pasta making, and meal preparation on a budget, as well as programming specifically for children.

For the next two years, the market will also be working with the Center for Regional Food Agriculture and Transformation (CRAFT) out of Chatham University to produce business classes for farmers on subjects like website design, social media management, food labeling, grant writing, accounting, and food regulations.

Martz said she surveyed farmers and talked with CRAFT for 18 months before adding them to the grant process so she could nail down programming that would be in demand and truly benefit local growers.

In its new cafe, the market offers grab-and-go goods and meals from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

They aim to make all their food with ingredients from local farmers.

In the retail space, shoppers can find fresh produce, dairy and meat products, coffee, artisan products, and fresh-baked goods, including gluten-free breads and snacks. Above each product is information about the producer of that product. "We have little producer profiles that talk about who they are, what they do, and why they do it," Martz said.

She said they are looking for new vendors who would like to join the space. The growers and farmers set their prices and receive 75 percent of the product revenue.

After applying, which vendors can do online, Martz visits the farm or business to see how everything operates. She said it's another source of revenue outside of farmstands or farmers markets in the summer.

Livia Homerski began her health food journey in 2020 and started working at the market in 2021. She's one of the first faces people see when they walk in. "One of my favorite things about working here is that we have so many products that I personally can stand behind and I consistently buy and take home," she said. "All of our animal products are ethically raised and sourced and the animals are fed well and taken care of with love and respect. So I really appreciate that I can recommend things to people that genuinely I use and love and am passionate about. It makes me feel good."

She said that between the homesteaders, college students, business people, and more, the market is a diverse space that uses food to come together. Plus, the market accepts SNAP and EBT. "I think that also really helps it become more inclusive and give everyone the opportunity to access things that make them feel well and also access things that genuinely support other people in their community — people that they know and love rather than it going to corporations where you'll never see that one come back," she said.

Martz said she's also hoping to use the space as a place for well-cultivated conversations and connections. She foresees doing events like book discussions, ethnic food nights with guest chefs, film showings, and more. "People come together around food, and it's such a great way to expand our knowledge and our friendships and our contacts," she said. Now that we're here, we can take a breath and say, 'Phew, that was huge.' But what comes next is the really exciting part."

Stay updated with Edinboro Market on social media and find cafe menus and producer/artisan applications at edinboromarket.org.

Chloe Forbes is a local journalist, reach her at chloeforbes14@gmail.com.