Boston Awaits Opening Of Indoor Public Market

BOSTON (CBS)-- Seattle's got one-- so does Philadelphia and San Francisco. And you can add Boston to the list of American cities with an indoor public market in the coming weeks. The Rose Kennedy Greenway will never be the same.

Many in Boston have wanted this for years. Finally, on July 30, the ribbon cutting takes place at Boston's Public Market.

"We'll open with 40, almost 40 small businesses, all from New England," said CEO Liz Morningstar.

Morningstar says being local is what it's all about. With 92% of their vendors being from Massachusetts, the Public Market is unlike anything else in the city.

"Vendors are all the way from your regular produce vendors that you would find at a farmer's market, All the way up to--we've got fluid milk, ice cream, cheese, meat, honey--all locally sourced here from Massachusetts," she said. "Everything that you would find in a traditional grocery but from local farmers, fishermen and merchants."

While the Public Market already has a large number of vendors, Morningstar says not all spots have been taken.

"We'll still keep leasing," she said. "We've held back 7% of the market floor, but we are 85% full."

She says visitors who stop by will find a distinct "type" of vendors when they walk in.

"Think about 14 farms alone, the majority of which are family owned, folks who live here in New England," said Morningstar. "Many of them have been farming for four generations."

Morningstar says this ability to sell locally is very important to the vendors.

"This is the ability for them to sell directly to people right here in Boston," she said.

The Boston Public Market is easily accessible by train, and is located above Haymarket Station. The building, says Morningstar, has an interesting twist.

"Honestly to tell you the truth we are in a building that's main purpose is to disguise the vent shaft for the Big Dig below," she said. "Who would have ever thought that would turn into a green and vibrant marketplace?"

The Boston Public Market's grand opening is July 30. It will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jeff Brown Reports
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