Those rumors Swamplot has been hearing lately about an impending changing of hands of Canino Produce farmers market at 2520 Airline Dr. have finally been clarified a bit by Nancy Sarnoff over at the Chronicle: a sales deal is currently in the hammering-out stage between the Farmers Marketing Association of Houston and MLB Capital Partners (the company that owns the Houston Design Center, as well as some other office-y holdings). A rep for the would-be buyers tells Sarnoff that the plan is to keep the market intact, but make it more tourist-worthy, starting with an upgrade to the parking areas and the bathrooms (and maybe later by adding a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker brewery to the mix).
- Farmers Market in Heights Area Could Be Upgraded [Houston Chronicle]
Photo: Canino Produce Market
Long overdue
With some finesse, I think this could work. Right now, the current Canino’s/Airline Farmer’s Market is not going to be able to survive the rapidly rising property values in the neighborhood. The majority of the property is being used by distributors who do no retail business in the market. They could move out tomorrow and find much cheaper real estate with better facilities out on Beltway 8. So, once they leave, the market would not be able to survive and a townhome farm would probably be next on the menu for that property. But, if you yuppify the buildings where the distributors are currently housed, you can keep upgrade the rest of the market without pushing out the vendors with higher rent. Buuuutttt, if you squeeze out the existing vendors, you end up with an oversized version of the Eastside Farmer’s market. That will not work in Houston where the vast majority of even the foodies will go to the Central Market or Whole Foods for produce, etc.
Shame, cheapest place to get pickled okra in town. Otherwise completely unsurprising. That land is worth a bundle. It may be in the least desirable section of the Heights but that still puts it as “in the Heights”
This is what they ought to do at the Plaz America’s: exactly like Canino’s is now, minus the touristy upgrade for the white (linen) Heights. Take one of the vacant anchors, blow out the walls, and there you go. The color scheme even works….
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Actually what about relocating the old Canino’s to Plaz America’s and then letting them do a fully rebranded version for The Heights?
A meat market would be a welcomed addition.
Need piñata vendors, Dia de los Muertos skulls and de los Santos crafts and candels, sobreros, ponchos, polychromatic blankets, Virgen de Guadaliupe devotionalia, and Mexican talavera pottery for proper touristy flair, too. Recruit some stall operators from the Mercado in San Antonio…. and maybe get an El Tiempo franchise going somewhere closeby. The one on Navigation seems to be doing well even though it’s next door to the perennially popular and always-packed Mama Ninfa’s and a few other nearby Mexican eateries. All together makes for a synergetic critical mass – not to mention the Navigation esplanade. Why just East End and Navigation? Some Latino-themed Diego-Rivera-grade muralized warehouse walls would be great too, like the ones recently redone by non-longer Lee High School students on the side wall of Fiesta on Bellaire and Hillcroft.
An expanded version of the Eastside Market would be a welcome upgrade for the fourth largest city in the country. And as long as it carries organic produce, artisanal cheeses, meat and dairy, I would have no reason to go to Whole Foods or Central Market. If all the developers intend to do is upgrade Canino’s exterior without changing out the offerings, sadly it won’t attract new buyers.