The Allure of Seattle’s Colorful Pike Place Market

The Allure of Sea≦le’s Colorful Pike Place Market

By Linda Milks

Gold prospectors, prostitutes, immigrant farmers, fishermen, politicians, and horses with wagons. That was the beginning of the city of Seattle and also the beginning of Pike Place Market.

The Market’s Beginning

On August 17, 1907, a summer downpour, mud, a wood planked roadway, live chickens, and eight wagons full of produce drawn by horses awaited a group of thousands of female shoppers eager to find fresh produce direct from the farmers of the local valleys. Produce was sold out by noon.

Within three months, 120 farmers in the area who contributed were recent immigrants from Germany, Italy, China, Japan, and the Philippines. They were tired of selling to middlemen and making little profit. Soon a long narrow shed was built with 76 stalls to protect the farmers from the rain. A permanent arcade opened in November, 1907. In the early 1900s, more than 3,000 farmers supplied the city with fresh fruits and vegetables.

From these beginnings, the market grew to more areas known as the Economy Market, the Corner Market, the Sanitary Market (named that because horses weren’t allowed in that section,) and the lower levels of the Main Market. Then came the Outlook Hotel and the Triangle Market. The market is still considered a place to meet growers with roots from all over the world. Pike Place Market is the oldest continually operated and historically authentic public market in the country and is considered the “soul of the city.”

Rough Times at the Market

And yes, during WWII, there was even a brothel at the foot of Pike Street at a hotel named the Outlook and then renamed the LaSalle, possibly getting the new name from the luxury car and known for a place where soldiers stood in line to get “a ride.”

WWII also brought about the disgrace of the internment of Japanese, causing many stalls at the market to be shut down. During the following years the market fell into disrepair.

Luckily, with help from community leader Victor Steinbrueck, the Friends of the Market was formed. This group put preserving the market on the ballot in 1971. The measure passed.

Fifty years later during the celebration of the preservation of the market, I visited Pike Place Market with fellow writer Debbra Dunning Brouillette.

The activity and charm of this market never ceases to enthrall me. One section, known as the Pike Place Fish Market, has been at the market since 1930. Not only can you find a huge selection of the freshest fish imaginable, but you can also be entertained. These fishmongers put on a show throughout the day where one fishmonger throws a large fish across the space to another behind the counter and then the fish is thrown back while a crowd of onlookers applauds. Supposedly, this came about because one fishmonger was upset with another and tossed a fish at him, and the crowd cheered.

If you love flowers like I do, fi nd yourself delighted with large and reasonably priced bouquets of giant dahlias (one of my favorites), asters, and ornamental cabbages grown in the nearby valleys.

Fruits and vegetables as brilliantly colorful as a Van Gogh painting fill stalls. Merchants offer samples of some of the more unique fruits.

A Private Tour

I highly recommend the chef-guided food tour we took with Eat Seattle Tours. Not only did we get top notch service from some of Chef Sean’s nine favorite stalls with delicious samples, but he also shared some interesting insights and stories about the market.

On this tour we experienced everything from Beechers Handmade Cheese where we sampled Mac’ N Cheese to Pike Place Chowder, where tourists wait in long lines (but not us) to sample the only West Coast chowder inducted into the Chowdafest Hall of Fame. We also visited the mother/daughter team owners of the Truffle Queen where we sampled their mushroom, olive, and black truffle sauce on a crostini. One of my favorites was Ellenos Yogurt, the yogurt said to make ice cream jealous (and I agree.)

When you visit, don’t miss the Secret Garden, a rooftop patio, garden, and seating area where gardening activities take place and produce is grown and donated to the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank. Before you leave, say “hi” to Rachel the Pig, an outdoor bronze sculpture piggy bank, and tell her I sent you.

Photos, from top left:Fishmonger Throwing Fish; Fish and Octopus at Market; Pike Place Chowder Kitchen ; Debbra and Me in Front of the Pike Place Market Sign; Rachel the Pig with Debbra