it’s boston public market’s 10th birthday!

a letter from our CEO and Board Chair:

Boston Public Market After 10 Years: The Real Story

As we embark on the 2025 holiday season and wrap up our 10th year since the Boston Public Market opened in the heart of our city, we want to take a moment to reflect on our decade of growth and thank so many of you who have brought us to this milestone. At its heart, the Market exists because of the people who believe in local food, local businesses, and the power of community. The Market’s journey is really your journey — of neighbors, entrepreneurs, and visitors coming together to create something meaningful.

And what a journey it’s been!

Those are big numbers and an important measure of the Market’s overall economic impact. But it doesn’t tell the whole story of the challenges we’ve faced and overcome – or those that remain since the Market opened ten years ago.

For the full story, you have to go back to 2001, when a large group of people, including local farmers, food producers, and entrepreneurs, along with public officials and community groups, rallied behind the idea of developing a public market in Boston. In 2011, the administration of then Governor Deval Patrick, with the backing of several key leaders, committed to spending several million dollars on the Market’s construction and identified the first floor of a long-vacant, decrepit building at 100 Hanover Street as an ideal location. Several local community leaders and organizations, who were and remain deeply committed to our city and state, generously contributed to the Market’s development as well.

The Market opened in the summer of 2015 and hit the ground running. The first full year of operations saw over 2 million people visit the Market – well above projections and well above visitor numbers for many other local destinations. For five years, the Market’s foot traffic and sales numbers continued to grow, and the Market’s festivals, events, and other activities made it a vibrant part of the downtown urban fabric. The Market’s success turned a vacant eyesore in downtown Boston across from City Hall into a highly popular destination for residents, office workers, and tourists.

2019 saw the Market’s first year of operating profitability, and in early 2020, we had every reason to believe our strong trends would continue. Then a worldwide devastating pandemic hit us all. Thanks to the generosity of the Kendall Foundation, other individuals, and public agencies, we were able to provide critical financial support – including waiving rent for six months – for the Market’s vendors, ensuring that, unlike so many other downtown businesses, they were ultimately able to regain their business footing.

For the first time with the 2024 state budget, nine years after the Market opened and in light of the lingering effects of the pandemic, legislators throughout the Commonwealth supported a measure to provide operating support to the Market. The Market is host to farmers and other entrepreneurs from throughout Massachusetts, and these legislators recognize that the Market is a vital part of the small business ecosystem for the entire state. While we have now received additional financial support from the state this year, that amount is decreasing each year as we take the necessary steps to increase revenue from other sources.

That commitment to increase revenue from the businesses that benefit from operating in the Market has created some challenges, as we have had to make some difficult but important decisions to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Market. The recent story in the Boston Globe that focused on a very small fraction of our vendors whom we are exiting from the Market, and which failed to acknowledge the Market’s obvious successes in foot traffic growth, sales growth, programming, and community engagement, presented a distorted picture of our vendor community and the Market.

Our vendors are dedicated and talented entrepreneurs, and we are deeply grateful for the commitment these vendors have to each other and to the Market. With over 30 vendors in our Market and a variety of other stakeholders, we do our best to balance a variety of opinions. With foot traffic and sales constantly increasing, over 500 activities and events in the Market each year, and having been recently named the 3rd Best Public Market in the Country by USA Today Readers, we do get things right more often than not.

The Market spent its first decade navigating a global pandemic, adapting to a radically transformed downtown Boston, and keeping pace with rapidly evolving consumer trends. With hundreds of events and activities each year for everyone—whether it’s a children’s sing-along, a Market-wide festival celebrating New England treasures, a vendor demonstration, a wellness activity with a neighborhood partner, a pop-up market that welcomes even more small businesses, or an after-hours themed party—we provide a vibrant and enriching experience for all. What began as a shared dream has grown into a beloved civic space powered by thousands of people who believe in the importance of local food and community.

The Boston Public Market’s mission, developed in its earliest days, is to be a civic and community building space – a welcoming and vibrant hub for our neighbors and visitors from all over the world. We all come together around the common culture of food. We create opportunities for small businesses to thrive and nourish our community with enriching experiences. That mission remains unchanged. Our determined dedication to it has not changed. Like any enduring organization, we have been steadfast in our commitment to evolve the ways in which we implement our mission. As a result, we enter our second decade in a position of strength and with the wind at our back.

Come visit the Market and see for yourself.

Cheryl Cronin, CEO
David Clark, Board Chair

THANK YOU

We would not be here without the generosity, guidance, and support of so many people and organizations.

Thank you to our State Representative, Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, Mayor Michelle Wu, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle, and MassDOT for their leadership and partnership.

We are deeply grateful for the enduring commitment of Andy Kendall and the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and of Lisa Murray, President of Citizens MA and Citizens.

A special thank you to our dedicated BPMA team and to our Board for their tireless commitment. Our community’s collective belief in the Market’s mission has shaped its first decade and continues to guide us into the next.

Thank you for celebrating with us this year!

What the Market Means to Our Community

“The Market is a vital outlet in Boston that fosters a direct link between our Massachusetts farmers and local consumers, allowing our local growers to connect with the community and provide the freshest produce and products.”

– Ashley Randle
Commissioner, MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources

“It’s a privilege to represent the North End, and to have the Boston Public Market be a part of our neighborhood. The North End has always been a place where small businesses are central to the community, and the Market has added new and diverse offerings to the mix.”

– Rep. Aaron Michlewitz
House Ways and Means Chair

“The Market plays a critical role in helping to ensure that more of the food we eat in New England is produced in New England.”

– Andrew W. Kendall
Executive Director, Henry P. Kendall Foundation

“Knowing where our food comes from and sharing that with my kids matters to me. The Market makes that possible, accessible, and delicious all year long.”

– Lauren K. Stein
Cookbook Author

“The Boston Public Market is a strong asset to the rapid retail, office, and residential development of this neighborhood. It’s exciting for all of us in the BPM community to be at the heart of urban transformation and growth.”

– Thomas O’Brien
Founding Partner, Managing Director, The HYM Investment Group

“Not only do we have the chance to connect with customers at the Market, but the 1,000 local fishers whom we partner with also benefit from the relationship. We’re proud to be a part of a community that supports the livelihood of this historic fishing industry.”

– Jared Auerbach
Founder and CEO, Red’s Best
BPM Vendor since 2015

“The positive implications of being ‘Boston’s Apple Farm,’ by bringing the farm and the city together within the walls of the Boston Public Market, are profound and long-lasting.”

– Al & Nancy Rose,
Co-owners, Red Apple Farm
BPM Vendor since 2015

“We love that at the Boston Public Market, we can be part of a community of small, local businesses who collaborate and support each other.”

– Lucas & Zach Reckling
Co-owners of Bagel Guild
BPM Vendor since 2022

“The Boston Public Market is a great way to showcase our local Massachusetts farms, vendors, and small businesses. BPM is a one-stop shopping experience that allows our community to support and shop local!”

– Mia B.
BPM Customer

” The Boston Public Market is truly a great example of public, private, and community interests coming together to develop neighborhoods, transform lives, and stimulate economic renewal.”

– Lisa Murray
President, Citizens Massachusetts

“Access to healthy, locally-grown food is key to a strong community. The Boston Public Market provides a space where everyone has a seat at the table.”

– Dave Clark
Board Chair, Boston Public Market Association

“You see each other’s successes, and how the Market has grown in such a short period of time, and this gives you hope and strength to reach for success for your business.”

– Morad Bouzidi
Owner, Morockin’ Fusion
BPM Vendor since 2020

Boston Public Market Milestones

Boston Public Market timeline of history from 1996 to present day

Donate!

The Market has survived over the past 10 years with the help of our Community Engagement Fund, which allows us to subsidize rent for the small businesses that make the Market a special destination and provide free, educational experiences for our community.

Do you have $10 to give in honor of our 10th birthday?

GIVE $10

THANK YOU!