The West Side Market is a 112-year-old Cleveland institution with a vibrant array of food and beverage vendors. But for years, both business owners and customers have complained that it has been unable to keep up with the times. One desire, at least on the customer side, has been an area to sit to enjoy the food and beverages they’ve just bought at the market.
Cleveland Public Market Corp. took a small step toward changing that. On July 20, the non-profit, which took over management of the space in April, launched a new 65-person patio. Sitting between the market’s main indoor space and its auxiliary produce alley, the new outdoor space is open during normal market hours — Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On select Saturdays, the patio transforms into a lively beer garden.
Patrick Evans, the director of marketing for the Cleveland Public Market Corp., says the move is a small part of the five-year master plan to renovate and update the cultural anchor on Ohio City’s West 25th Street — for both vendors and customers.
“The committee looked at customer survey data over the past twenty years, which consistently showed three things: increased seating, outdoor seating, and the ability to drink alcohol while at the market,” says Evans.
When Major Justin Bibb took office in 2022, the master plan was created after gathering feedback from various voices in the community, including from public market consultants to Ohio City residents, on how to best evolve the space.
The current patio and beer garden may be simple, a colorfully painted alley with a few tables and chairs and some greenery. But is meant as a way to build momentum toward that enhanced guest experience while awaiting the design of a permanently expanded courtyard and expanded indoor seating.
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