Hutto co-op home to first farmers market
Hutto co-op home to first farmers market
Written by Beth Wade Friday, 11 July 2008
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Update: The City of Hutto released a press release July 11 with new information about The Hutto Mercantile at the Co-op. Marketplace Austin, operators of the farmers market, held a sneak preview Saturday, July 12.
The market will celebrate a grand opening Aug. 9 and remain open Saturdays and possibly some Sundays until December. At that time, the city could re-evaluate the lease and extend it.
Hutto residents will have a new place to shop at the co-op property at Hwy. 79 and Short Street. The open-air market, named The Hutto Mercantile at the Co-op, will begin July 12 and go from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.“I am really encouraged by the comments I have had from people and the excitement there seems to be out there about having something like this in Hutto,” Councilwoman Debbie Holland said. “It is a good time for this with gas prices the way they are.”
The Mercantile will be held every other Saturday, but that could change to include more dates if there is enough interest.
“[The market] is an ongoing, organic structure,” said Mark Gindin, Marketplace Austin chief financial officer. “The point of this whole experiment is to see what is out there in the local community and feature it every week.”
The idea for the market came from Gindin, who was working on a project in Hutto. Gindin saw potential in the property as he drove to work in Round Rock each day. He brought the idea to the council, and after several meetings, the council signed a six-month lease with Gindin’s company Marketplace Austin, an indoor market that leases space to vendors.
“The logistics of it and how it appears on site are not as important to me as the forward-thinking city who has decided to showcase itself on its own land,” he said.
The market will have three sections, including a farmers market with a variety of natural products. Another section will feature arts and crafts, and a third section will have entertainment, ranging from jugglers to musical acts.
The Hutto Mercantile is temporary, but Holland said the lease could be extended. The city is working on a permanent plan for the co-op site, which could include a market, but that has not been finalized, Holland said.
For more information about area farmers markets, read these stories from our website:
