Downtown market aiming to foster community

Sep. 18—Plans for the future Felix Street Market are coming together, and the St. Joseph community is encouraged to share their thoughts.

Co-owner of The Den, Jeff Waggoner, said that there is a need for a Downtown market in St. Joseph in order to highlight the small businesses in the area.

"I think the primary need is getting more traffic Downtown," Waggoner said. "There's a lot of small businesses Downtown that work very hard. They have some really incredible things to sell to the community and events for people to attend. And this is just going to give a larger reason for the people of St. Joseph to go Downtown and visit."

There are many shops in Downtown St. Joseph that offer a variety of goods and services, providing a little bit of something for everyone.

Adrienne Waggoner, the other owner of The Den, said the new market, which is set to be located in the first-floor retail space of the Felix Street parking garage, will be a place for everyone in the community.

"Ultimately, it's a community space," Waggoner said. "From being able to come in with toddlers and children during the day to groups of teenagers and adults at night, there is literally, it's cliche to say, but there is going to be something for everyone. There's going to be food, there's going to be retail, there's going to be classes and demonstrations. And it's really going to be a place where all kinds of people can come together, gather, be in community together and experience a little bit of what our town has to offer within the space and beyond the space."

Those helping put together the market will be at the Sounds of Summer performance on Friday in order to discuss the project with community members.

People can also share thoughts and provide input about the market through an online survey.

Adrienne Waggoner said the survey is easy to take and will be beneficial in the plans for the market going forward.

"It takes about four to five minutes to fill out the survey, there's not much," Waggoner said. "It's gonna be questions about where you're from, how you're involved in the community, what you expect from a market like this, what might want to see, what you would want to see in this space ... So it's really quick and easy. It just is a good idea for what people would expect and anticipate and want from this so that we can ultimately create something for our actual community."

For those interested in being a vendor in the future market, more information can be found at felixstreetmarket.com.