The Fair Food Farmstand triples in size
The new and improved Fair Food Farmstand celebrated its grand opening on October 2, after months of diligent planning and construction. The Farmstand’s new home, on the 12th Street side of the Reading Terminal Market, provides more space and visibility for the ever-growing hub of locally-sourced foods.
No longer tucked away in a cramped corner, the new location offers three times the amount of space for produce and twice as much freezer space. It can accommodate more customer traffic and is illuminated by natural light through the 12th Street windows.
Customers and staff are thrilled with the expansion. “Our core customers have been blown away,” says Fair Food’s Emily Gunther. “They remember when we were just on a folding table once a week.”
Fair Food brought in Re:Vision Architecture, a local green planning and consulting architectural firm, to ensure that the new design would be functional and in line with their sustainable mission. Jeremy Avellino, who managed the project, wanted to help Fair Food plan for future growth. “It was important for the design to be adaptable over time,” Avellino says. All of the produce “arks” are on wheels and can be easily shifted around. Even the refrigerators are moveable.
Salvaged chalkboards, reclaimed wood (including telephone poles) and all-natural milk paint were just some of the environmentally-friendly resources used to construct Fair Food’s new home.
The Fair Food Farmstand is now open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
