White River Junction
And passersby noticed. The market is one of the latest ventures to spring up in fast-changing White River Junction.
Inside the former department store — which closed in 1996 and later became a bingo hall — is the Upper Valley’s newest open market, started this fall after Hotel Coolidge owner David Briggs began redeveloping the 7,000-square-foot space.
The market, which is officially called Market Day in the Junction and operates inside Newberry Market, is similar to an indoor farmers market but is not limited to homegrown or homemade items. Vendor businesses such as Pampered Chef, which sells cooking and baking items, as well as nonprofit organizations, such as the Quechee Library, can rent space in the market to distribute information and recruit members or volunteers.
It is open for two sessions every Thursday throughout the year (except Thanksgiving) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The market can accommodate 22 vendors who rent space for $10 a session. Many stay the entire day.
Briggs said he considered revamping the space decades ago when the department story closed, but the timing wasn’t right.
“We could not redevelop it because White River was not ready and it was capital intensive,” Briggs said. “It would have cost too much money to get it up to code.”
But as the town continued to grow and change, Briggs saw more possibilities.
“The thing that pulled the trigger on it was the success of the Tuckerbox restaurant,” Briggs said. “We needed to have viable tenants because to meet codes and things of that nature … you have to basically spend new construction dollars. It’s expensive.”
The Turkish eatery’s expansion, and the addition of Piecemeal Pies, took up 3,500 square feet of the building, leaving half the building available for other possibilities. It took three months to finance the project — which included subdividing the space and building walls, and updating the electrical, heating and ventilation systems — and six more months for construction itself. When the Market Day in the Junction isn’t operating in Newberry Market, other organizations can rent the space.
“We want it to be an eclectic mix,” said Aimee Goudas, of Woodstock, who originally started coming to the market as a vendor before being tapped to help manage the market while continuing to sell LuLaRoe women’s clothing. “Part of the fun is you don’t know who will be here every week so you have to come by and see.”
Upon entering the space, visitors are greeted with cups of cider and bite-sized candy bars. The yellow walls, dark red floor and tame rock music playing in the background gives the space a subdued vibe. People took their time on Thursday, wandering from vendor to vendor, often stopping to chat with sellers or one another.
Billings Farm & Museum rented a space for the first time to sell its cheese during the day’s first session.
“White River is growing,” said Grettie Howe, of Woodstock, who is the visitor services and merchandise manager at the nonprofit organization, about an hour into the market. “We’ve already had sales.”
Vendors register on a week-by-week basis, which allows people with other time commitments to rent space when their schedules allow it, Goudas said. More than 100 people attended the market on Thursday, Goudas said, and 27 vendors were there throughout the course of the day.
Monica Masland, of Lyme, and Omaira Saloum, of Hanover, have found the market a good fit for their business, Morenas Latin Cantina, which sells Latin American food. On Thursday, their offerings included empanadas, chicken paella and tamales.
“We target lunch hour,” Masland said.
While the women offer catering and have sold their food at the Hanover Farmers Market, they were drawn to the White River market in part because of the different crowd.
“Now we’re trying this one,” said Saloum, who is originally from Mexico.
“Do something different,” said Masland, originally from Venezuela.
Kerry Ellis, of White River Junction, was part of the lunchtime crowd that market organizers hope to attract. Ellis was on break from her job at the nearby district courthouse when she stopped by the market and spoke of what it could add to the small community.
“I think it’ll help a lot, bring more people in hopefully,” Ellis said.
Organizers hope that the later session of the market will draw people heading home from work and that they will make it part of their Thursday night routines.
“Half the battle is people outside of White River getting here,” Goudas said. “We’re trying to let people know that something exciting is happening here.”
Around 5 that evening, Kathryn Page, of Hanover, estimated that she sold about 100 of the 120 cupcakes she had brought with her. She has sold at various area farmers markets, including the ones in Lebanon, Hanover and Norwich, in addition to catering gigs.
“I like it because I love White River Junction, just the feel down here, all the businesses that have been starting up,” said Page, who started her business, named The Cupcake Queen, around five years ago. “I’m happy to be part of it.”
Debbie and Steve Riege, of Hartford, Conn., along with Debbie Riege’s father, were visiting their daughter, Meg, who lives in White River Junction when the quartet stopped by the market.
While the family had visited Vermont before, they had not paid much thought to White River until their daughter moved to town.
“It’s just a delightful place,” Steve Riege said. “We just love it here.”
While the couple did not buy anything Thursday, they found businesses they want to visit in the future, such as Left Bank Books, a used and rare bookstore in Hanover, which set up a booth during the second part of the day.
“So we’re talking it up, down in the flatland,” Steve Riege said.
“It was great,” Debbie Riege said. “We’ll be back.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
