The Makers 8: Farmers Hall at West Side Market This is a proposal-in-progress for the lease of the entire North/South produce arcade at the West Side Market. lt anticipates negotiation for lease rates. tenant and lessor improvements and financial contributions. and other contractual factors. Its primary purpose at this point is to fully define the use and concept. We welcome discusSions on all such matters. "The public market is being re-imagined throughout the world" The Makers Farmers Hall at WSM will convert the least rented, least visited, least productive part of the iconic West Side Market in to a must- visit, vibrant hall where visitors can shop for Cleveland-made food products. locally raised and grown meats and produce. with ample opportunity for sampling, socializing and learning while roaming, relaxing. having a sandwich and completely upgrading the experience of visiting the West Side Market. "Grocery stores can't compete with the new public market expe?ence" Visitors can talk to local farmers and makers and enjoy fresh squeezed fruit or vegetable drinks, gelato. coffee, while sharing a community table or comfortable bench. They can taste various locally produced foods, or relax while reading a recipe and enjoying a tasty discovery for lunch or snack. The hall will offer an elevated "public market? shopping environment which enhances the entire property to provide an experience not available anywhere else in the region. "This new hall will lead the way to a new experience, fulfilling higher standards, setting the stage for a better West Side Market from corner to corner." The existing and almost vacant arcade running South to North from Lorain Ave to intersect with the main entrance of the WSM off the parking lot, will be completely re-invented and will lead the journey of the market toward modem marketplace standards. In recent years, the leading suburban grocers such as Heinens and Whole Foods have delivered a farmer's market environment loaded with the finest foods and produce which at one time were the purview of public marketplaces such as West Side Market. They have, in fact, created concocted versions of the urban marketplace. thus eating away at the frequency of visit to the West Side Market, eroding the customer base by offering better products, better experiences and far more convenience. "This is how to recapture the weekly shopper and dramatically increase frequency of visitation from near and fan? The once a year visit from the suburbs to the WSM is less ful?lling than their weekly visits to fine grocers around the corner from them. The Makers Farmers Hall will help WSM turn that story around and offer the accoutrements that have been long missing, and which have provided the suburban competition with advantages that relegate visitation to WSM as an act of tourism versus a joy of shopping and socializing. As the grocers have tried to emulate a public marketplace. we will be THE public marketplace, surrounded by merchants, offerings, entertainment, hospitality, bars and restaurants and a true urban community experience which the suburbs attempt to duplicate. but can only emulate. "The Makers Farmers Hall will create a fulfilling "wandering" experience." We expect to replace the completely linear and raised traditional stands with kiosks, ?oating displays, product sampling stations, roving sales/ advisory staff, flexible presentations spaces, convenient community seating, access to the outdoors, and opportunities for special events, education and entertainment. Additionally, this project brings a major bene?t to the market: the ability to attract a customer with deeper pockets and higher demands, which should motivate all vendors to up their games. At the same time, new money will provide new profit, allowing vendors to also serve all economic classes better and more affordably. The focus will be on food products made and manufactured in the region, from pickles and sauerkraut to sauces, salsas, snacks and a farmer's market selection of diverse, specialty and locally grown, raised and produced products all meeting a high level of quality, whether entirely organic or grown and raised by similar artisan standards. There will be opportunities to present kitchen-related products such as cook books and tools, and perhaps branded merchandise promoting the WSM experience. Area food makers will make more money too. Presently relegated to minimum shelf space in a handful of area groceries, they will now reach tens of thousands of new customers, with fewer links in the distribution chain. BUSINESS STRUCTURE. This concept is being developed by a team under the Cleveland Culinary Launch Kitchen banner. CCLK is a 501 C3 organization which most recently is building out the game-changing 160,000 sq ft Cleveland Food Hub at East 77th Carnegie, which will be by far the region?s largest food production facility. CCLK has helped launch many successful commercial food products in this area. GlazenUrban, lead by marketing veteran, now community development professional Alan Glazen, is partnered with CCLK. His commitment to the local food industry comes from his experience as an investor on the LeBron network tv show "Cleveland Hustles." Glazen created the successor of that project. 'Cleveland Chain Reaction." which along with COSE. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, JumpStart and Fox 8. is entering its 3rd season funding business in the inner Tank style. Glazen is an owner of Cleveland Bagel Company and A-2 Taverns. which operates 4 successful venues within the city of Cleveland ECONOMIC STRUCTURE. The group proposes to lease the entire 'hall," and operate it as a separate but deeply connected adjunct to the West Side Market. Aspects of this model are a work in progress it is presently envisioned as one business with many faces: and expects to include highly select sub-lessees, including existing market tenants, who can provide product to the required standards. At this moment, it is expected that the organization will be a not-for--profit, aimed at increasing profits to local manufacturers and farmers, relieving them of the extreme pressures imposed by the multi-Iayered distribution systems in place today. This proposal is a working document. and as such, welcomes and expects input from its limited readership. Respectfully, Alan Glazen