Our Market In The Press

Boise-Eliot Outdoor Market Launches Mississippi Mural Project

A mural by Andrey Nedashkovskiy greets shoppers at Boise-Eliot Outdoor Market

A wall-like structure is materializing around what has long been a glaring vacant block on North Fremont between Williams and Vancouver. It’s not the kind of wall you would expect. There’s no barbed wire fence or unfinished plywood mounted here to prevent loitering or other unwanted activity. Wrapping around the corner of Williams and Fremont are shoulder-high panels depicting a vibrant spectrum of images, ranging from colorful cityscapes, graffiti-inspired neighborhood portraits, fantastical sea creatures, a winged heart flying across a brilliant blue sky and an East-meets-West depiction of a dragon targeted by a bow-wielding cherub.

Economic Opportunity and Neighborhood Prosperity

This emerging art wall is appearing piece by piece as each week new 4 by 8 foot panels painted by local artists are erected along the property’s border. The beginning stage of the Mississippi Mural Project, this outdoor art installation is inspired and fueled by the shared vision of stonemason and recent City Council candidate Spencer Burton and artist/activist Rahsaan Muhammad. The murals, each painted by a different artist, are the pieces of what they envision as a “Magic Box” to bring attention to the newly-established Boise-Eliot Outdoor Market, provide exposure and income to local artists and raise funds for a neighborhood mural project.

To get involved in the Mississippi Mural Project, contact Spencer Burton boiseeliotmarkets@gmail.com or 503.803.2699. To learn more about the project and the Boise-Eliot Outdoor Market, visit the web site: www.boise-eliotmarkets.com

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A Fledgling Outdoor Market Grows Roots In Boise-Eliot Neighborhood, Helps Community Make Extra Income In Hard Times

Larry Bingham, The Oregonian

Doug Beghtel, Sergey Velikoretskikh selects potatoes for a customer from his booth at the Boise- Eliot market from produce grown at his family's farm, Great River Farms.

One by one, they come to the vacant lot on the corner of North Fremont Street and Williams Avenue to pitch their wares. Like merchants in a village square, each brings something handmade or homegrown, albeit with a contemporary DIY Portland twist.

One man sells organic eggs and green coffee beans. Another hawks clothing his niece made and wood figurines carved by his nephew. A woman offers knitted caps, black beans and rice, and sweet potato pie. Another woman sells gluten-free peanut butter-cup brownies alongside a woman trading in incense and $3 rings.

It may not be bartering with the blacksmith and cobbler, but the new Boise-Eliot Outdoor Markets hopes an old business model will bring extra income to modern-day folks suffering in a dire economy.

"We want to create a place where community and commerce come together," said market founder Spencer Burton. "Local people, local products. That's our line."

The idea came from Burton and another resident, business partner Rahsaan Muhammad, who saw the community's need -- as well as a vacant lot that once housed a tire company and was set for condo construction until the economy tanked. They initially planned to operate a nonprofit market but established it as a business to get it off the ground quickly, Burton said.

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