Bayview Pop-Up Market Breathes Life Into Neighborhood

Food has become an integral part of the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood in San Francisco.  Numerous new businesses are offering different dining options, and also, a gathering place within the community.  And while there is still a lack of fresh produce, or even a grocery store, the neighborhood’s residents have taken the matter into their own hands, by starting up a Bayview Pop-Up Market.

Andrea Baker and Earl Shaddix have been at the forefront, not only helping to organize the market, but also extolling the virtues of Bayview Hunters Point.  “While under contract with the Mayor's Office of Economic & Workforce Development (OEWD), I tried to attract a farmers market to the Bayview - unsuccessfully. The organizations I approached felt that the Bayview was 'not ready' for those services.  I was fortunate to meet Earl, a Bayview resident stakeholder and tireless promoter of the Bayview and its gems. Earl had recently become one of the first permitted CFOs (Cottage Food Operations) in the City. Over a late dinner one night we commiserated - seeing the new CFO permit as a mechanism to create entrepreneurial and economic development opportunity for Bayview residents,” Baker said. “The Bayview Underground Community Pop Up Market was envisioned as a distribution point for the new and existing entrepreneurs in the Bayview.  I met with the Department of Public Health to learn how best to streamline the process and reduce the cost of permitting; OEWD agreed to pay for permits; and we were off!”

The market started with just a few vendors from the neighborhood, but like many community events, word quickly spread and more and more people have become involved.  Local residents who have businesses are getting in the act, as do many looking to start up businesses of their own.  Baker said it’s not just about the food.  “I think the most important element of the Pop Up Market has been the 'pride of ownership' from the community. This has really become the Bayview's Pop Up Market - many of our patrons are discovering some of these gems for the first time; and better yet are finding their own ways to support these businesses,” she said.  “Vendors get called for catering jobs, festivals and other vending opportunities.”

There are plenty of things to do for kids, hands-on activities and a chance to talk to vendors about their products.  Baker said there is also still plenty of room to grow.  “Our goal is to end up at the newly renovated Bayview Opera House and/or Mendell Plaza (located in Town Center of the Bayview) and to have added a produce farmers market to the Pop Up, that takes place on a Saturday morning in the Bayview,” she said.  “We also hope to create more pop up and catering opportunities for our vendors.  We want more exposure and opportunities for our Bayview businesses.”  

Baker said she knows there is plenty more to do in the neighborhood, from filling vacant storefronts to attracting more foot traffic to the Third Street Corridor.  She said there is also still a need to fill the Fresh and Easy space with a competitive grocery store.  But perhaps most important - to continue to get the word out about the good of Bayview Hunters Point, the positives coming out of the neighborhood, and the up-and-coming vendors and businesses that are leading a path to growth.  My next article in this series on San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood features the inspirational story of a restaurant run by youth in the community.