Soulard Farmers Market

Beginnings In 1779, the market began at a flat meadow where farmers came to sell their goods. It was the third public marketplace in St. Louis. In 1795, he married Julia Cerré, whose father, Gabriel Cerré, received a grant from Spain for the land where the market was located in 1782. In 1845, Julia Soulard died, and in 1854, the city owned the property of the market. These structures were severely damaged by the 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado. The symmetrical building is five bays wide; its first story has a central, arched entry flanked by multi-light windows under a colonnade. The second story also has multi-light windows, grouped in pairs. Above are porthole windows, topped by a Romanesque corbel table under a pyramidal tile roof. Four open-air wings supported by metal posts extend from the main building. ==Present day==

The market is open from Wednesday through Saturday all year, and Saturdays are the busiest days. Soulard Market has more than 140 vendors. Several studies were conducted at Soulard Farmers Market, where both wholesale and retail sales occurred. It was noted that as in other "farmers" markets, most vendors were not farmers, but rather merchants who purchased wholesale produce. They usually procure their fruits and vegetables from Produce Row, which is a wholesale market in the city. ==See also==