CREJ - page 1

The
INSIDE
by Michelle Z. Askeland
Urban food markets are having a
moment. Following the August 2013
opening of The Source in River North,
this year will see the opening of two
new urban food markets – The Central
Market at 2669 Larimer St., and Stan-
ley Marketplace at 2501 Dallas St., in
Aurora. Additionally,The Source’s mar-
ketplace is adding 20,000 square feet of
space along with a 7,000-sf roof-deck
beer garden and pool, as well as a 100-
key connected hotel.
While everyone has a slightly differ-
ent definition of the term food market,
they all agree that it’s a destination
where people can either dine in or buy
ingredients to take home and cook.
The key to making these new urban
markets successful is that they offer a
new experience for consumers.
“The typical retail format of people
pulling their car up to a curb, engag-
ing with the salesperson and jumping
through all the hoops to buy some-
thing is moving online,” said Kyle Zep-
pelin with Zeppelin Development, the
team behindThe Source. “So the goal
is to provide an experience that gets
outside the one-dimensional to pro-
vide something that’s more compelling
and more experiential.”
The rise of culinary popularity is
evident across the city, and while it’s
addressed with continual restaurants
openings, there also is an opportunity
to capitalize on the culinary retail
aspect.
The shopping experience used to be
a very personal thing, but over time
society made it as impersonal as pos-
sible, said Nicolas Farrell, co-owner of
Mondo Market. Farrell believes that
consumers are looking to reintroduce
that personal relationship and, as a
tenant at The Source and Stanley Mar-
ketplace, believes food markets present
an opportunity to do just that.
As consumers became unwilling to
make multiple stops to purchase their
meal’s ingredients, communities lost
many of their local butchers, bakeries
and specialized merchants, said John
Imbergamo, restaurant consultant with
Imbergamo Group Inc.
“Now that’s reversing a bit,” he said.
“People are interested in local and
Courtesy David Hiser Photography
Consumers increasingly are seeking out local and artisan products, which has spurred the development of several urban markets. Pictured above is a busy Saturday at The Source.
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