The moment you step into the historic Meadville Market House, located at 910 Market St, you’re surrounded by the energy of local makers, fresh foods, and a tradition that has stood the test of time. For this installment of Meeting Meadville, Kelly Rhoades, of Kelly Rhoades Photography, connected with Meadville Market House Manager Ashley Mattocks-Rose in the heart of downtown to learn how this long-standing community hub continues to support local farmers, artisans, and small businesses while staying true to its original purpose.
Meeting Meadville with Kelly Rhoades
If you haven’t been by in a while, you MUST stop to check it out. Not only can you find beautiful local grocery items such as produce, baked goods, milk, eggs, meat, and cheese, but the Market House is also home to many other items made by talented artisans from the area. Whether you need groceries, gifts, treats, or even a Christmas tree, they’ve got you covered! Check out the interview with Ashley, and be sure to look through all the images to catch a glimpse of everything this local gem has to offer.
Tell us a little about your business!
“Built in 1870 we are the oldest CONTINUOUSLY RUN open market structure in the state of PA! Our priority is to connect the public to locally produced foods while supporting local farms and artisans.”
What inspired you to start your business?
“Wellll… in 1870 there was an obvious need for a Market Square in downtown Meadville that would create a space in the heart of the city for farmers and makers to bring animals, produce and other goods to sell. What KEEPS us going is our commitment to stay true to that original purpose of providing a practical and efficient space for those area artisans and makers who can’t have their own retail/grocery store or staff to sell it. Accessibility is also a huge priority of ours: keeping prices of goods fair to the makers, yet affordable to the community.”
What is something that makes your business unique?
“HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE? but seriously, when you shop at Walmart or other big box grocery stores, do you recognize the town name those food items came from? Can you literally go visit where your eggs were collected or your english muffins were baked? Do you have a chance of knowing every farmer’s face and the faces of their kids? When your produce goes bad sooner, it’s because it was picked FRESH, IN SEASON, ON LOCAL LAND and not overly sprayed down with preservatives and pesticides. When you buy a gift on Amazon, is there any satisfaction of knowing that you simultaneously supported local economy that puts food on the plate of your neighbor and encourages the importance of disciplined artistry and effort? Annnnnd how often can you buy something in a retail space that has been dedicated to supporting the same vision for 155 years? We hear SO MANY STORIES from people about their own memories of the Market House and those stories are all still here in these walls, preserved for future generations to come.”
In your opinion, what is the best thing about Meadville?
“…how much time do you have?! I mean, I grew up here and didn’t appreciate it fully until I moved away and came back after 20 years. This is still a town where you can chat with complete strangers while you’re in the check-out line. We have incredible scenery and beautiful seasons. We have rich historical architecture that tells a much bigger story than just our current existence. We have been – and still are – MAKERS. There is such a rich tradition of creatives creating here…whether it’s tool and die, facets of the arts or even fostering spaces for education. It’s scary to make something from nothing and put it out there to the public…but our community has been doing that for centuries and we’ve all benefited from it!”
Which Meadville business, aside from your own, is your favorite?
“My 5-year old kid wanted to invite Miss Beth from Hello Sunshine Boutique to his birthday party, if that says anything. Chateau Christine has long been a regular stop for me even when I lived out of state. Hatch Hollow is always knocking it out of the park in events, products and placemaking. And if you haven’t been to Meadville Distilling’s Vault Lounge, you are REALLY missing out on one of the coolest, hidden spots downtown.”
You can scroll through the visual story using the gallery below. You can also see the original post on Kelly Rhoades’ Facebook Page here. (Be sure to Like and leave a nice comment too!)
Kelly Rhoades is helping to Make Meadville through her work on this project. If you’d like to see Kelly’s full portfolio of work and book a session, go to her website at www.kellyrhoadesphotography.com
