Save Eastern Market

I have been an artist and vendor at Eastern Market for a very very long time and was devasted by the news of the fire. My emotional reaction to the fire made me realize how much that place became an extension of me; having a close relative die, is probably a similar feeling. After a few bumps this weekend, I feel confident that things will to continue to operate smoothly and profitably for all! The community has been amazingly supportive and responsive; very impressed with the Mayor as well. This web site is incredible! I was just thinking to myself, all this information needs to be easily accessible and catalogued so that we will know what's going on, because, other than Easternmarket.net, we haven't been notified of any proceeding. Great job and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

pretty sure it's Hine, not Hines, Jr. High

Having lived on the Hill for a number of years, my wife and I (and our dog) frequent the market almost every weekend and often during the week. My wife attended the meeting this evening and was pleased with the “fact finding” that occurred.

We are, however, still deeply concerned that no decisions were made and that no indications were given as to how long this might take before the city moves forward with a plan. I am also worried about the "us vs. them" attitude that continues to develop regarding the market vendors, those from across the street who are the "flea market" sellers and the outside/northside vendors.

This past weekend I overheard frequent discussions among flea market ventors regarding their worries about being displaced by the temporary space for the displaced inside vendors. My heart goes out to those who were devastated by the fire and we do need to do everything we can to make sure they are supported in every possible way, but this can not be at the expense of canceling contracts and displacing the other sellers of the weekend market. While using the schoolyard* seems an excellent choice for various reasons, there must be significant and just consideration for all of the constituents of the market. Many people come to the market area only for the so-called flea market vendors. Not providing them with adequate space and proper consideration will only hurt their livelihoods but also other area business. Only a holistic approach to solving this problem should be accepted and carried out by our city officials.

To this end, I have decided not to give money to the rebuilding efforts until a full and comprehensive plan is designed and announced that will properly maintain _all_ of the vendors of the market area. There seems to be a great divide between the three constituent groups and this must be a time at which all three groups must be consulted so a comprehensive plan can be put in place that will protect the livelihoods of all involved. I hope that Mr. Wells, Mayor Fenty, Ms. Holmes Norton and our other elected officials will see that this happens.

*As we have been asked to comment on how to manage, I would specifically recommend using the Hine Jr. High schoolyard tennis and basketball court areas (sorry to those who might not have use of these areas for a few months) but this should be done only if this will also provide that the weekend vendors can also be fully and properly maintained. Otherwise, move the weekend flea-market folk in part or the temporary structure for the market vendors to the square near the metro entrance. I hope others will read the plan and enter their thoughts.

Joe, I'm not sure where it was incorrect; we live right by Hine, so if we got it wrong, it was just an oversight! Sorry about that...

Daniel, thanks for your long comment -- it's very much appreciated.

I obviously can't speak for the administration, but I have to say that your wife and I might not have been in the same room (there were two of them running) -- in our room, there decidedly was *not* an "us-vs.-them" attitude between the indoor merchants and outdoor vendors. Instead, at least one or two members of each group openly stated a strong preference to make sure to consider the other group when any plans were being made, and it was actually incredibly impressive to see that most everyone in the room (merchants, vendors, administration officials, and the rest of us) were taking a strong stand that everyone was an equal member of the Eastern Market family.

Additionally, I think that (again in our room, I can't speak for the other room) there was a clear consensus that there needed to be some sort of specific plan to accommodate any flea market vendors who were displaced by a potential temporary building on the Hine lot. We heard a bunch of ideas -- closing Seventh Street and incorporating that area into the flea market space, removing the tennis courts and basketball courts and incorporating that space, using the Metro plaza -- that could achieve that goal, and I felt that the administration did what it could to convey that it understands the importance of this fact.

Finally, I think everyone will agree with your overall point: we as a neighborhood need to feel that we know what's going on, and as such, we all would like to see the plans as they're developed, and watch the process as it unfolds. Until that happens, whether we've made individual contributions to the merchants or the rebuilding or whatever, nobody will feel secure that we'll get our Eastern Market back.