Written by Terricha Phillips
Drive past the Coit Farmers Market on any given day and it’s easy to assume it’s closed despite the bright red building’s colorful signage, garden beds and wooden chicken coops. Then the newly paved, brick-lined parking lot moves visitors to park and participate in sustaining the local economy.
At the tip of the triangle of Coit Avenue, Woodworth Road and East 152nd Street, the anchor market of East Cleveland holds space for 30 vendors, a 1-acre urban garden, glass art classes, and an industrial kitchen for cooking demonstrations. The 91-year-old market is a jewel for greater Cleveland residents, many who drive up to an hour away to support rural farmers from as far as Burbank or the west side. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays (all year) and Wednesdays (June through October), shoppers peruse vendors for cooked meals, fresh produce, handmade crafts and homemade health aids. On Sunday mornings, the market sets up a food pantry for giving away surplus produce and foods from area grocers and retailers like Trader Joe’s.
Corner markets and market houses in Cleveland go back to the mid-19th century as places of economic development, social events and daily shopping for fresh meats, sweets and produce. Markets give urban and rural neighborhoods access to fresh, healthy foods when shopping options are limited, and farmers save money on shipping and storage costs. Following in her aunt’s footsteps, No Wheat, No Worries owner Chandra Morgan-Henley started selling gluten-free baked goods at the market 10 years ago. “This place is peaceful; this past summer we held Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day cookouts here and invited our friends and family and we have fun,” said Morgan-Henley, who brings her famous cheesecakes to the events and grows produce in the garden.
An online search of this history brings up articles by Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland’s Center for Public History and Digital Humanities and Cleveland Scene about how the first farmers markets and storefronts sustained neighborhoods during depressions, industrial growth and inflation. Better known markets are the West Side Market (1912), East Side Market (1988) and Coit Market (1932) — first operated by the Northeastern Ohio Growers’ Cooperative Association, Inc. for farmers in Lake and Geauga counties and was known for fresh produce, eggs, flowers, coffee, honey, meats and more.
In the Coit market’s hey day, East Cleveland and suburban residents lined the streets, walking up to enjoy the sights and smells while catching up with friends. As White Flight dwindled the area’s population and elder generations of farmers gradually moved on in the late 1990s, the Northeastern Ohio Growers’ Cooperative put the market’s building up for sale. Market manager and longtime volunteer Kevin Scheuring rallied supporters to save the market from total disrepair and the group established the nonprofit organization East Cleveland Farmers Market Preservation Society. The spirit of the market remained strong over the years as dedicated growers and vendors from surrounding neighborhoods continued producing and selling, and the arrival of much-needed federal government subsidies allowed recipients of WIC (women, infants, and children) and SNAP benefits to get double portions of food to stretch their monthly budgets
East Cleveland resident Cashmere Wilson shops here monthly and encourages her friends to do the same because of the programs and affordable food. “It takes me back to the beginning with my grandma, it makes me feel like she’s walking right with me,” Wilson said while shopping at the market on a Saturday afternoon for Christmas gifts and produce. “We come here because we live close by and to be able to get these crafts and fresh vegetables, it’s nice.”
advertisement
Scheuring, of East Cleveland, started shopping at the Coit market more than 20 years ago, eventually becoming a vendor selling spices and serving on the market’s Board of Directors. “We work with Central State University for the beginning farmer program, so we’re trying to train people to not only grow stuff but everything from getting it to sell at the market to canning and pickling stuff that you don’t sell so it’s a value added product, that’s a fully encompassed program to get you from nothing to running a business at this market,”said Scheuring, who also provides knife sharpening services.
Vendors have repeat customers who support multiple market stands because of the high-quality products and food grown and made with love for the community. For three years, Miriam Kineva of Broadview Heights runs Miriam’s Pierogi stand selling homemade pastries, eggplant Parmesan, pasta dishes, salads and soups, spinach pies and more. “I love the customers, I love the environment; it’s very comfortable here with the members of the staff because they make us feel welcome here,” Kineva said. “I have all kinds of customers here, and some are Indian people, Russians, Ukrainian. Kevin is a very good manager, he knows how to talk to people.”
The history of the Coit Market inspires raw honey products creator and vendor Anthony Daria, who started out delivering produce for market vendors years ago. “I have 31 varieties of raw honey, most of these varieties you can’t find in the store so it gives individuals in the area an opportunity to taste honey from different blossoms,” he said.
The market’s renovation project will improve stormwater collection and irrigation of the farm. Scheuring said the North East Ohio Regional Sewer District awarded the market a $250,000 Green Infrastructure reimbursement grant to help pay for it. During the COVID pandemic, the market received a $25,000 grant to implement the first phase of designing the stormwater collection system to mitigate runoff from the parking lot and roof. Today, it costs $150 a month to cover runoff fees as part of the annual $12,000 operating budget, Scheuring said. The organization still needs up to $25,000 to complete the gutter repairs, fencing and drainage for the lot, and a GoFundMe campaign benefiting the East Cleveland Farmers Market Preservation Society has raised $1,966 so far.
Scheuring is optimistic about the future of the market in spite of the challenges that come with maintaining the property in an eco-friendly way. Market organizers are focused on maintaining the property while recruiting board members willing to do the work, and recruit new rural growers and vendors committed to community-supported agriculture.
