Marketplace Auditions New Home Vendors Try Out Possible Site In Old West First Warehouse

The Spokane MarketPlace may have found a new home.

After being evicted from its Riverside and Division site in 1994, the farmers market may return downtown - this time to the West First neighborhood.

In an old warehouse on the corner of First and Jefferson, eight MarketPlace vendors set up booths Saturday to try out the market’s possible future home.

“It’s a relief to finally have a place,” said Chrys Ostrander, an organic farmer who brings produce to the market twice a week. “It was such an unfortunate thing when we were forced to move.”

Outside the 22,000-square-foot warehouse, balloons tied to parking meters welcomed more than 300 people during a two-hour open house.

“Maybe we could bring back the dream,” said Jackie Rappe, director of the Spokane MarketPlace. “We’re getting strong support from everyone, especially the neighborhood residents who want fresh produce.”

Rappe and other MarketPlace officials still need to negotiate a lease with Cowles Publishing Co., which owns the property. The company also owns The Spokesman-Review.

The building, which used to house a car dealership, has been vacant for more than a year and needs to be brought up to code, Rappe said.

But if the lease is approved, the MarketPlace should open this May at its new location, Rappe said.

After the MarketPlace was evicted from its original downtown site, it moved to an out-of-the-way location in Riverfront Park just east of the Flour Mill.

The market barely survived: Revenue dropped by 40 percent and dozens of vendors stopped coming, Rappe said. Before the move, the MarketPlace had an average of 55 booths. At the Riverfront Park location, that total dwindled to 25.

The MarketPlace has always looked for a permanent home, Rappe said - one that would enable the market to be open year-round.

By putting the MarketPlace into the old downtown building, the market also would help improve the West Downtown Neighborhood, an area trying to shake a reputation for drugs and gangs.

“This is the best thing that’s happened here,” said downtown resident Mary Ann Ripple, as she drank coffee with her friends. “It’s another step to cleaning up the neighborhood.”

Comments at the open house endorsed her sentiments. “Do you want the MarketPlace?” asked one sign. Responses in colored marking pens included: “I can walk here,” “I’d shop here if they take food stamps,” “Excellent location. I would spend a lot of money here.”

While most were excited about the possible new location, some did express safety concerns.

Peter Urio, a vendor, is wary of the neighborhood, he said. Two years ago, his hubcaps were stolen just a block away from the warehouse. This isn’t an area where he would walk alone, he said.

But the MarketPlace is also one of the few venues where he can sell his goods - African spices, art and other imports from his native Tanzania.

“I get scared when I’m in this neighborhood,” he said. “But it’s good that (the MarketPlace) is downtown.”

Clarence Pitts, a street musician, remained skeptical. The MarketPlace has been moved so often, he said, that he doesn’t want to get his hopes up.

“They always start out with glowing promises,” said Pitts, who often shops at the market. “They’ve had good places before but someone always manages to shoot it down … I hope they’ll stick to their guns.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of area.