Winter’s chill forces the Schenectady Greenmarket indoors every year, but patrons will find more offerings in a larger space this season.
The Schenectady Greenmarket returned to its traditional indoor locations on Sunday, Nov. 4, at Robb Alley and the downstairs Education Center at Proctors, but shoppers were able to enjoy prepared food offerings in Key Hall across from the Arcade. The expansion offers better seating and a wider range of dining options. The larger space will also allow for more community events and cooking demonstrations.
Greenmarket Board of Directors Chairwoman Betsy Henry said the move was spurred when Proctors decided to build a print shop in the lower level, which reduced the amount of space available for vendors. Prepared foods used to be offered on that downstairs level along with other vendors selling market items. The shuffle ended up being a boon, with the new space expanding a popular aspect of the market, Henry said.
“Key Hall is an absolutely gorgeous space where we’ll have plenty of room for our prepared food vendors, and plenty of seating so customers can enjoy music and a meal,” Henry said in a statement.
The style of prepared foods offered include Eastern European, Cajun, Caribbean, Peruvian, Moroccan and Vietnamese cuisine, along with paninis and coffee. The space opened up room for a few more vendors, so Henry said some vendors that could only be at the market every other week or month can now appear more regularly.
The cooking demonstrations are another important aspect of the market, too.
“Part of our mission at the market is to have education … educating the public about good food and local food and a local expert table,” Henry said.
Key Hall will add a new atmosphere to the dinning. Henry said the space feels much more cozy and will be nice during the cold winter months.
This winter, the Greenmarket hosts 73 vendors selling vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts, dairy, meat, poultry, eggs, baked goods, confectionery items, processed foods, wine, honey, syrup, crafts and gifts. A new vendor this season is Pura Vida Fisheries, which offers wild-caught, fresh New York State seafood.
The opening of the indoor market coincided with its fourth anniversary, with performers helping kick it off on Nov. 4. Running the River, a four-piece band playing a mixture of county, rock, folk and other genres performed on the main market stage in Robb Alley. Rick Sacchetti also played Americana tunes from noon to 2 p.m. in the Education Center.
Henry said the hope is to have musicians performing at three areas within the market. To view the calendar of events at the Greenmarket, visit www.schenectadygreenmarket.org.
Henry said the market has been going strong for four years and it only seems to continue to grow.
“I think it is far exceeding our expectations,” she said. “We have a really loyal customer base and at the same time we have people that show up everyday Sunday and say, ‘Wow, we have not been down here before.’”
Henry stressed there continues to be a good amount of fresh produce through the winter. The Greenmarket actually spurred some vendors to grow new produce items since it has a reliable winter customer base, she said.
“There will be plenty of produce,” she said. “We will have greens all the way into December.”
The Schenectady Greenmarket will be indoors from November through April and is held Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.