Main Market Co-operative is now open in downtown Spokane.

The fact that the parking lot was full and the line waiting for a space was two cars deep was a clue. The word is out. Main Market is open for business. From the moment I first heard about Main Market Co-operative and the concept behind it, I was sold. I joined immediately. Friday, when I stopped by the newly-opened market for the first time, I was so glad I had done so. The new market, in a spectacularly renovated building on Main Avenue, is a showplace. Not just a design trophy but a showpiece of commitment and dedication. It’s long been argued that the lack of a downtown grocery store was the missing ingredient in the true urban renewal of the city core. Without a source for food and other necessities, living downtown just wasn’t as practical. It meant hopping into your car or hitching a ride on public transportation and traveling back into other shopping districts. Spokane is still smarting over the Trader Joe’s snub, collectively bemoaning the fact that we’ve not been found worthy. What a waste of time and energy. We can do so much better than that. When organizers began to work on making the Main Market Co-operative a reality, they did so with a specific mission. “We wanted more than to just bring good food to the community,” Main Market director Jennifer Hall told me. “We wanted to bring the community to the source of the food they eat.” With that in mind, the market will offer more than just an impressive assortment of organic, locally sourced and sustainable food. There will be chances to meet the producers and travel to the source of the meat and produce carried by the market. There will be cooking classes and opportunities to learn more about making healthy and sustainable food choices. With the on-site deli, fresh food is available for takeout. There are even meat lockers available for a nominal monthly rent so those who want to purchase meat in bulk can have a place to store it. Although membership is encouraged it isn’t required. All shoppers are welcome. Membership does give you access to early notification of special events as well as a discount on food, classes and meat locker rental. The new Main Market is a beautifully designed and decorated space, but it was intended to serve all segments of the population. “We have people of all incomes – from both ends of the spectrum – shopping,” Hall said. I picked up some specialty cheeses, gluten-free crackers and bottle of local wine, and a beautiful winter squash orzo salad. As I walked to my car I looked behind me. There were two cars waiting for a place to park.