One hundred percent homegrown, the Boston Public Market has foodies’ best interests at heart.
Set to open in July, the 28,000-square-foot space, located at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, had local food sellers salivating when it was announced. It will be a year-round gathering ground for some of New England’s best boutique vendors. From Crescent Ridge’s iconic milk jug to Taza’s edgy chocolates, the carefully crafted foods and produce will represent more than 30 small businesses.
The BPM is the first of its kind in New England. Similar congregations opt instead for seasonal openings that can vary week to week and do not ensure exclusivity from larger competitors. The BPM, on the other hand, protects vendors from big, bad wolves, such as corporate food trucks, major restaurants and regional outsiders.
Lydia Blanchard, the founder of Sweet Lydia’s in Lowell, has long dazzled her devoted following with gourmet marshmallows and candy bars, and points to the close-knit community of the BPM as a cause for excitement.
“I really like the shared community, its members and its resources,” she said. “I know many of the members very well from doing farmers markets over the years. We all have shared philosophies, which means we can discuss what we have learned from owning a small food business.”
Given that so many of the businesses travel from town to town, the possibilities of collective marketing in the metropolitan hub of New England are endless. Blanchard anticipates that the niche followings of each vendor will not only grow but also mingle, feeding into the passionate consumer base of fellow producers.
“Boston Public Market is a wonderful opportunity for companies with very small footprints to network and pool marketing power,” she said.
An entrepreneurial spirit pulses through these modest companies, but it’s the reverence for their work that sets their brands apart in the minds of their core customers. Luca Mignogna, an artisan cheese maker and founder of Wolf Meadow Farm, said it best.
“What we do is the expression of who we are,” he said.
Mignogna, born in Campobasso, Italy and involved in the restaurant business throughout his entire life, could not take an initial call because he was busy kneading mozzarella, made from scratch. However, he did later echo Blanchard’s sentiments, thankful for the chance to solidify a storefront presence beyond his business’s location in the Amesbury.
“We are finally able to bring our product downtown and actually stand behind it,” Mignogna said. “It’s such a privilege to be able to meet the Bostonians who would like to eat our cheeses on a daily basis, but can’t travel to find them.”
Blanchard agreed with Mignogna, emphasizing the BPM’s closer proximity to a greater number of customers.
“I’m looking forward to having more of a chance to meet Boston customers, and for existing customers who don’t need to wait,” she said. “Some people drive up to Lowell, make a day of it and stock up on products.”
The BPM’s holistic approach walks a fine line between money-driven opportunity and the money-enabled survival of specialty goods by expanding access to allow for heightened sales. Mignogna channeled the BPM’s ethos by emphasizing the small business owners’ need to put passion into their work.
“If we’re only looking to make money, this doesn’t work,” he said. “Our love, our passion, our respect … The value we have for what we do makes this possible.”
In his eyes, it is that devotion that draws the most loyal customers. Regardless, the honor of having a first-round presence at BPM has yet to distract from the greater goal — longevity.
“Our goal is to be at Boston Public Market for decades,” Mignogna said, laughing. “That would mean we’re doing well.”
