The Excelsior Action Group is working to bring a community market to the “Heart of Excelsior”, at the Persia Triangle. Inspired by the success of other farmer’s markets around the City, the Excelsior Community Market seeks to provide a gathering place for healthy and affordable foods to be sold, and for local artists, micro-entrepreneurs, vendors, and community members to gather.
What is the Excelsior Community Market?
The Excelsior Community Market is a regular event that offers Excelsior residents goods and services that are not currently available in the Excelsior Community. Half of the Market will be devoted to food, the other half will be devoted to community based vendors. During its pilot phase, the Market will occur once a month in the Bank of America parking lot at Persia and Ocean.
The mission of the Excelsior Community Market (ECM) is to contribute to the community and economic development of the Excelsior through the support of local commerce, community cohesion, and public space improvement. The Excelsior Community Market provides a centralized place where residents, entrepreneurs, and people of all ages and backgrounds can gather, making a range of activities and affordable amenities easily accessible right in the heart of the Excelsior’s Persia Triangle.
The mission of the Excelsior Community Market (ECM) is to contribute to the community and economic development of the Excelsior through the support of local commerce, community cohesion, and public space improvement. The Excelsior Community Market provides a centralized place where residents, entrepreneurs, and people of all ages and backgrounds can gather, making a range of activities and affordable amenities easily accessible right in the heart of the Excelsior’s Persia Triangle.
How did the Excelsior Community Market come about?
The Excelsior Community Market arose from the confluence of several projects that the Excelsior Action Group has been spearheading over the years.
First, the Excelsior Art & MusicFestival has occurred annually at the site for the past decade. The event attracts thousands of community members and provides a valuable platform for community-building within our diverse neighborhood. Attendees and vendors have repeatedly asked if the Festival can occur more frequently than on an annual basis. The Excelsior Community Market will provide a regular venue for community-building activities.
Second, the Excelsior Action Group conducted a Business Attraction Needs Assessment between June and December of 2012. The assessment resulted in a prioritized list of business types not currently available in the neighborhood that respondents would like to see available on the Excelsior Commercial Corridor. Priority business types included dynamic dining options, a pet supply store, a plant nursery, and family entertainment. Unfortunately, many of the business types at the top of the list are not compatible with existing commercial vacancies on the corridor.The Excelsior Community Market provides an interim solution by creating a temporary space for these business types to make their goods and services available to the community.
Third, the Excelsior Action Group has been exploring platforms for fostering entrepreneurship and skills-building among residents of District 11. With the recent passage of the Cottage Law in San Francisco, EAG will be able to offer space to local residents with significantly reduced barriers to entry.
Finally, the Excelsior Action Group has been collaborating with the District Supervisor and Planning Department’s Pavement to Parks program on a public realm project to activate, beautify, and make safer the heart of the Excelsior at the Persia Triangle. In January of 2013, we held a Community Town Hall meeting to gather feedback on what community members would like to see at the site in the near-term to improve it. A Community Market was one of the most salient ideas that arose at that event. The Excelsior Community Market is one piece in the larger public realm project, which also includes traffic calming, public space creation, public art, and a community kiosk.
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