(Washington, D.C,) – Merchants and vendors at DC’s Eastern Market, the city’s longest continuously operating fresh food market, are experiencing serious management and operations problems resulting in dramatically declining sales, according to a new report, DC’s Eastern Market: How to Save an Endangered Treasure. “This report points out several specific areas where the D.C. Government is operating Eastern Market outside of the law and mismanaging the Market’s budget.”
The report, commissioned by the community group Eastern Market Preservation and Development Corporation (informally Eastern Market Preservation), lays out the challenges to the existing Market. It is a strategic plan for restoring the Market to its historic roots. The City should not waste $300,000 for a proposed five-year Market plan that will be too little, too late. D.C. should immediately implement the Report’s recommendations.
“In 2007 the Capitol Hill community pulled together to support the merchants and save Eastern Market after the devastating fire. Today we have another fire burning down Eastern Market. It is the mismanagement of the market by the D.C. government. If left unchanged, the merchants will be driven out and the historic character of this important D.C. landmark will be lost,” said Ellen Opper-Weiner, President of the revived Eastern Market Preservation and Development Corporation.
The solution is simple. DC Government must immediately cease its illegal operations of the Market and comply with its own law, Eastern Market Management and Regulation (§§ 37-101-37-113). The law requires:
- Market management under a not-for-profit association, or corporation, with experience operating an historic, urban fresh food or farmers’ market (§§ 37-105).
- Market manager with experience in running an urban fresh food/farmers market ((§§ 37-101).
- Actual farmers to sell their locally-grown produce (§§ 37-101).
- Hand-crafted goods and art work that are the original work of the vendor (§§ 37-101).
- Limitations for imported hand-crafted and indigenous goods including the requirement that the vendor be the importer of those crafts ((§§ 37-101).
- DC to pay for capital improvements (§§ 37-102).
- An Enterprise Fund to receive revenues and proceeds from whatever source on behalf of Eastern Market and to be used for management and maintenance of Eastern Market and for “no other purpose” (§§ 37-103).
“The merchants and vendors at Eastern Market are an essential part of the Capitol Hill community. Their businesses are being run into the ground by a bullying management who threatens retaliation when concerns are raised as opposed to addressing problems brought to its attention. Eastern Market needs our support,” said Ellen Opper-Weiner.
Opper-Weiner urged Capitol Hill residents, Market users, DC officials, our Ward 6 Council member, other elected officials and community groups to work together to address these problems and take necessary steps to preserve the historic character of Eastern Market. The group has started a petition in support of the Market at www.empreservation.org.
The report’s author is Aaron Zaretsky, a nationally-known consultant on public markets and currently the executive director of Public Market Development, Inc. which has consulted on historic market operations for 40 years. Prior to this position, Zaretsky spent 15 years as a director of Seattle’s highly successful Pike Place Public Market.
The Eastern Market Preservation and Development Corporation commissioned the report. This local community-based group’s goal is to protect and foster the historic function and character of DC’s Eastern Market.
Media Contact: Ellen Opper-Weiner, President, Eastern Market Preservation and Development Corporation, info@empreservation.org, (202)-547-7131.