Market time (photo by Liz Jones)
Pike Place Market
A Century of Commerce and Community
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Seattle's beloved Pike Place Market. What began as an effort by farmers to sell their wares directly to Seattle customers, has remained, in large part, a public market specializing in fresh produce, fish, meats and more. But the colorful veneer of vendors and buskers cloaks another Pike Place Market: a collection of residents, social service providers and an underclass that's either ignored or avoided by the Market's more respectable denizens.
Despite the Market's protected status as an historic landmark, its farmers and merchants struggle to compete in a citywide market of thriving retailers, while its infrastructure suffers from lack of funds and, maybe, people who don't ever want it to change. This seven–part series will explore all aspects of the Pike Place Market, past, present and future.
Reported by Liz Jones, Patrica Murphy, Phyllis Fletcher, Jamala Henderson, Ruby de Luna, Amy Radil and Deborah Wang. Edited by Marcie Sillman.
I. Not Just Another Pretty Face
Michael Yaeger, the honorary "Mayor of the Market" (photo by Liz Jones)
Market people have their own lingo. Children who grow up there are "Market Babies." Camera–toting onlookers are "visitors," not tourists. And the folks who make and sell their hand–crafted goods? Well, don't call them vendors, they're "artists." The Market even has an honorary "Mayor." In this first story in our seven part series, KUOW's Liz Jones shares stories about the history, society and the growth of the Pike Place Market from a farmer's market to an urban stage.
II. The Faces Behind the Glitz
86–year–old John Baker (seated) in his apartment with Joe Martin in the La Salle building. (photo by Patricia Murphy)
Look beyond the Market's colorful flower displays, the shiny salmon piled on shaved ice, beyond the buskers, the tourists and Rachel the Pig. You'll find another Pike Place Market, where senior citizens and low income residents are served by a health clinic and a senior center. The Pike Place Market is more than a destination for visitors. It's the home of hundreds of people. KUOW's Patricia Murphy takes us to their world.
III. Crime!
Fred Ibuki (photo by Phyllis Fletcher)
The Market is a place of commerce, legal and otherwise. Marijuana and crack are the most obvious forms of illegal trade in and around the Market today. Notes from the underground trade of Pike Place Market from KUOW's Phyllis Fletcher.
IV. Music to Our Ears
Emery Carl does his Troubadour Show in the Market (photo by Jamala Henderson)
No visit to the Pike Place Market would be complete without the buskers who crowded the cobbled streets. On a sunny Saturday, you'll find singers and softshoe dancers, jugglers and mimes. And all that entertainment is not only free, it's actually sanctioned by the Market administrators! KUOW's Jamala Henderson introduces us to some of Seattle's busiest street performers.
V. Fresh and Locally Grown
More veggies (photo by Liz Jones)
Generations of immigrants farmers have sold the fruits of their labor at the Market. At one time, Japanese farmers occupied three–quarters of the Pike Place Market's farmstalls. But that changed after World War II. KUOW's Ruby de Luna brings us stories from the people behind Seattle's oldest farmers' market.
VI. Where the Producer Meets the Tourist
Cheese if you please (photo by Amy Radil)
Local farmers are seen as the cultural heart of the Pike Place market. But the Market hasn't always been an easy place for them to sell. Farmers complain that tourists don't buy vegetables. And the rise of neighborhood farmers' markets has drawn many growers away from Pike Place. But downtown Seattle's condo boom has raised hopes for the Pike Place Market's farmer' revival, as KUOW's Amy Radil reports.
VII. The Future of the Market
Maintenance engineer Rocky Presher responds to a call on his radio, which crackles all day long. (photo by Deborah Wang)
Over the past century, the Pike Place Market has survived fire, demolition threats and financial crises. But how certain is its future? The Market's managers say the biggest challenge facing the institution is its aging infrastructure: leaky pipes, power shortages, crumbling floors. Next autumn they hope to ask Seattle voters for tens of millions of dollars to upgrade the Market's infrastructure. Will Seattleites vote themselves a tax increase to ensure the future of the Pike Place Market? KUOW's Deborah Wang has the story.
Special thanks for help in production of this series
goes to:
Densho Project
Filipino American National Historical Society
Wing Luke Museum
John Vallier, UW Multimedia Services
