rev:text
| - Let's be clear right up front; this grade is for the Market as a whole, not the individual vendors. East End Brewing, Caffe D'Amore, Crested Duck, these are all great, vital businesses.
But the rest of the market is just a jumble of half-baked ideas. The old space was pretty but felt unfinished, so I was hopeful when they moved to a new space...sadly, it's even worse. The space has all the charm of a garage, and little is done to give it a market feeling. Also, the selection of vendors leans too heavily on pre-prepared foods and home goods. Why isn't the farmer's market at the firehouse part of this? Where are the local farmers with fresh produce? Other than picking up a growler from East End and a latte from Caffe D'Amore, why am I here?
People give Cleveland a bad rap, but their West Side Market devastates this showing (Hell, it gives the whole Strip District a run for its money). With all of the abundant produce and farms in this, one of the most fertile regions in the county, it's sad that our public market is so disappointing.
|