Pike Market Historical Boards - Seattle, WA
N 47° 36.508 W 122° 20.463
10T E 549524 N 5272995
These historical boards are located at the south entrance to Pike Market in downtown Seattle, WA.
Waymark Code: WMG7XP
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/26/2013
Views: 11
Visiters to the historic
Pike Market entering from the south entrance will notice four large placards that stand next to the entrance doors and highlight Pike Markst's vital past and current operations as a public market place for farmers and artisans to sell their goods to consumers daily. The first placard focuses on the development of Pike Market and says:
Joe Desimone & Generations of the Market - A Family Tradition
When he arrived in Seattle in 1897, Giuseppe ("Joe") Desimone was a poor but ambitious 17-year-old Italian immigrant. He began as a farmer in the Market in 1925, and by 1941, he was president and owner of the Market, buying out founder Arther Goodwin's remaining interest. A frugal, personable, and colorful figure, Desimone's legacy of loyalty to Market longtime tenants was carried on by his children until 1974. This loyalty has continued to guide Market policies under public ownership.
Many Market businesses have followed this family tradition. Those which have been owned and operated by successive family generations for over fifty years include Pure Food Fish (since 1921), Trudy and Lenora's Barbership (1938), DeLaurenti specialty food Market (1946), and Cruz/Johnson farm (1940).
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The remaining three placards highlight how these businesses within Pike Market operate and the guidelines they have to follow on a daily basis before they're able to vend to consumers. The Pike Market website gives this historical outline of its history:
Between 1906 and 1907, the cost of onions increased tenfold. Outraged citizens, fed up with paying price-gouging middlemen too much for their produce, found a hero in Seattle City Councilman Thomas Revelle. Revelle proposed a public street market that would connect farmers directly with consumers. Customers would "Meet the Producer" directly, a philosophy that is still the foundation of all Pike Place Market businesses.
On August 17, 1907, Pike Place Market was born. On that first day, a total of eight farmers brought their wagons to the corner of First Avenue and Pike Street—and were quickly overwhelmed by an estimated 10,000 eager shoppers. By 11:00 am, they were sold out. Thousands of would-be customers went home empty-handed, but the chaos held promise. By the end of 1907, the first Market building opened, with every space filled.
A century later, Pike Place Market is internationally recognized as America's premier farmers' market and is home to more than 200 year-round commercial businesses; 190 craftspeople and approximately 100 farmers who rent table space by the day; 240 street performers and musicians; and more than 300 apartment units, most of which provide housing for low-income elderly people. "The Market," as the locals affectionately say, attracts 10 million visitors a year, making it one of Washington state's most frequently visited destinations.