Project Description:
The Flint Farmers’ Market’s future wavered on the brink of extinction in 2002 until a lease/management agreement was finalized between the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation (URC) and the City of Flint.
Since that time the URC has made significant progress in upgrading the Market, finding additional funding sources, balancing the budget, developing partnerships, expanding vendor categories, involving the community in its redevelopment, and developing an aggressive marketing plan. Since the management takeover, the URC has made a number of improvements to the facility including heating, cooling, and restroom upgrades. In addition, they have resurfaced and expanded the parking lot as well as partially repainted the interior and exterior of the Market. New funding sources from local Foundations have helped provide the funding for many of these improvements. With the support of the community and CK-105’s Take Back the City project, more than 200 volunteers pulled together to remove overgrown brush from the property, clean and paint the interior and exterior of the building, and clean out what used to be an unusable basement. With the assistance of Baker College of Flint interior design students, the restaurant and donut shop were given an “extreme restaurant makeover” which dramatically enhanced their appearance. Donations from the Flint Rotary Club and the UAW provided the Market with an outdoor deck, while the Ruth Mott Foundation built a mosaic sign for the Market as part of its community mosaic art project. Vendor changes have included a wine store (the first in a Farmers' Market in the state of Michigan), a quality meat vendor, cooperative art gallery, book vendor, and organic food.
Background Information:
The Flint Farmers’ Market was built in 1940 on the banks of the Flint River at the intersection of East Boulevard Drive and Robert T. Longway, ¼ mile west of I-475 in downtown Flint. It is a true community gathering place, drawing individuals from all corners of the city and county. Many of the vendors at the Market run family businesses that have operated there since its inception. Items for purchase include: farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, potted and fresh-cut flowers, fresh baked goods, poultry, meat, cheese, local artists’ wares, consignment apparel and more. The Market is open year around on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
