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Open & Awesome. The sign on the front door of Edinboro Market in downtown Edinboro is not only a perfect way to describe the delicious food and unique artisanal goods found within, but also the primo customer experience, starting with a friendly greeting when you walk through the door.
The only walkable grocery store in Edinboro, Edinboro Market was founded on the idea that food and cooking bring people together. Shoppers far and wide stop in for “seasonal local everything” — whether it’s produce, meats, coffees, baked goods, dairy products, dry goods and more — getting the freshest, highest-quality food around. Co-founders Marti Martz and Curtis Hals set out to create a year-round entrepreneurial marketplace to connect residents with local food producers. The nonprofit supports 100 small farms and small producers throughout Erie County, including 22 artisans. Gruber Farms pasture-raised meats.
The Pittsburgh Juice Company. Kombucha from Keystone Cultures Co. Northern Scoop craft ice cream sandwiches. Middlefield Original Cheese Co-op. If you like knowing where your food comes from, this market is for you.
“We are all local, all the time,” Hals said. “Everything is staff-tested and approved, of the highest quality and made within a 150-mile radius.” Any given week, you may find house-made bread, bottled milk, dry goods, duck eggs, honey, salsas and maple syrup, to name a handful.
A big part of what keeps people coming back is the Edinboro Market Café, which brews locally roasted coffee and tea and updates its menu monthly with wholesome lunches ranging from traditional to vegan to gluten-free. From quiche and falafel and curry to soups and breakfast tacos to the grilled-peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches that Elvis loved, there’s plenty of delectable choices! When planning the menu, chef Rusty Blumish incorporates seasonal produce as well as customer feedback and requests. The café also serves small-batch house-made baked goods.
The café doubles as a community classroom, hosting approximately 25 classes a year. There’s something for everyone: How to Put 20 Plants a Day in Your Diet, Turning Simple Ingredients into Tasty Meals, a class on knife skills, gluten-free bread-making and even classes for small-business owners on topics like grant-writing. The classes enable community members passionate about food to interact with fellow foodies.
The market’s fully outfitted commercial kitchen can be rented by the hour by those needing a commercial kitchen to prepare an item for retail sale, and is the first and only shared-use kitchen in Erie County.
In summer, Edinboro Market hosts a farm-to-table meal fundraiser that enables 150 attendees to meet and interact with the producers of their food. The market recently participated in the Downtown Edinboro Arts & Music Festival.
Edinboro Market is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The café is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
