Gather, shop, and eat good food in our Indoor Farmers’ Market and Country Store

Lowertown Market & Eatery answers the call to build infrastructure and space for a real community-based food system. It sits kiddy-corner across the street from the historic Saint Paul Farmers’ Market in the Northern Warehouse–a gorgeous rusty-red brick building celebrated on the National Registry of Historic Places, originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway to serve as a hub processing the goods ebbing and flowing to and from other train stations out west. 

Now, instead of hosting trains bringing in goods from afar, our new home base hosts our neighbor small-scale farmers and food entrepreneurs to bring their goods straight to the Lowertown neighborhood.

Come winter, the market will transform every Saturday and Sunday into an indoor farmers’ market as vendors set up tables along the perimeter of the space and sell directly to customers in the warm, cozy space. For customers, shopping is fun and social, and a chance to talk to the people who made their food. It’s commerce distilled to its simplest and essential elements; a producer hands a product to a customer. 

Compared to conventional grocery stores, farmers’ markets cut long travel and storage times for produce as well as middlemen, allowing producers to sell just-harvested produce directly to customers. They decentralize the food system, allowing more control and decision-making power to small-scale food producers and customers. They drastically cut packaging waste and carbon emissions compared to regular supermarkets. Most importantly, they localize the food culture that is authentic and special to a region. Farmers’ Markets function as a hyper-efficient supply chain, all while stimulating the local economy, increasing food security, and building local job opportunities.  

Our new Lowertown Market & Eatery expands on those strengths and benefits. Not only do the vendors and customers enjoy a climate-controlled, cozy venue comfortable in all conditions-rain or sleet or Minnesota’s famous arctic vortexes- they can sell their products in the market during the week too. The market functions like an old fashioned country store, the kind you might picture a village had back in the day that sold products made or grown entirely by the locals. Our country store market exclusively sells products made by our farmers’ market vendors. Galvan’s Food & Tortilleria manages the market during the week. You can grab a coffee and burrito before you shop for local food!

The Lowertown Market gives farmers an opportunity to expand the reach of their business and sell throughout the week and year-round. The Saint Paul Growers Association purchases the produce and manages the store. The farmers have a chance to sell in a marketplace on a small scale, which is usually not possible at other local grocery stores. Our market is open Tuesday-Sunday and is stocked with fresh veggies, fruit, meat, milk, eggs, assorted cheese, honey, preserved food, condiments, and more, all 100% local.

In addition to expanded access to local food, our Lowertown Market & Eatery features a large, fully licensed, commercial kitchen able to accommodate up to 20 primary vendors, 15 part-time vendors, and hourly, pop-up vendors. This shared kitchen space functions as a springboard for emerging food entrepreneurs and offers cottage food producers a chance to take their production to the next level. Our Market & Eatery also serves the community by hosting cooking classes and farmer events. We are working on expanding our offerings of classes and events. 

While it’s open now, we are still working on restoring and building the space to best serve the community. As we tear down walls and build up this space, we are tearing down barriers for food entrepreneurs, for dreamers, and for the community to share in those dreams through enjoying unique locally made-with-love products. 

Indoor Farmers’ Markets give a sense of community and local pride in a way that transient outdoor markets can’t. They often become home to the best of local gastronomy and food culture. What food traditions will we build in Saint Paul? What heritage and legacy will we carry or create to give to future generations? What memories will you make at our new Indoor Market space?

Join us in building our local Saint Paul food culture!

Lowertown Market & Eatery is open 7 am-3 pm Tuesday-Sunday at 308 Prince Street East.