An Early Site Visit at the James Beard Public Market in Downtown Portland

Last week I had a chance to join local media for an early site visit at the James Beard Public Market. These two buildings—the ground floor of the 100-year old Selling Building at SW 6th and Alder (610 SW Alder) and its neighbor, the old Rite-Aid (622 SW Alder)—will bring a world-class public market back to Portland. And it was pretty cool to see the insides and envision what is to come.

NOTE: These interiors are very rough and in a pre-construction shape, so keep that in mind.

We got there, were given some informational documents, and had a cup of coffee from Spella, which will remain in place and be a part of the Market. Delicious, as usual. I also was happy to connect again with Kerry Newberry (author of the Oregon Wine + Food Cookbook); meet the publishers of Edible Portland; and chat with Beth Federici, an independent filmmaker who made a film about James Beard called “James Beard: America’s First Foodie.”

We started off hearing from the architects, who talked a bit about their plans for the buildings’ spaces. Since we gathered initially in the Selling Building ground floor, that was the first space they spoke about. It will hold a bookstore, restaurant, fish and meat counters, and more.

Then we walked outside along 6th Avenue and stepped through what will be another market entry. We got a look-see at the first floor and the basement and the second floor.

The Architects and Their Vision for the Site

The firm that has been brought on to this project is BCV Architecture + Interiors. Architects Hans Baldauf and Maureen Hardy talked a bit about their plans and vision.

Hans expressed some of the things they hope will come to fruition at the James Beard Public Market. “We know how important it is for all the disparate parts of the food community to have a place to call home,” he remarked. “Where chefs can meet, where book signings happen with cookbook authors—that it becomes a vital cultural node, just as a public library is.”

He continued, “What’s really wonderful about this project is this combination of buildings downtown. And so the space we are in right now [the Selling Building] is distinct from the old Rite-Aid space, and it is the public corner. The main market hall will, in a sense, be the old Rite-Aid building, and you’ll feel how we will take advantage of all four levels of the market.” That’s three stories and the roof.

A Great Provisions Counter

The entrance on the corner of Alder and 6th is where a “great provisions counter” will be. “This is the place that we visualize charcuterie and the first place you’d come to for all the sorts of provisions you’d want to make for a picnic in Pioneer Square,” explained Hans. Pioneer Square is just to the south of the Market.

He adds, “This is the place that greets the out-of-towners, locals, and everybody who comes up around the main central provisions bar. And we will have different stalls surrounding it, so that in a way it becomes the taste of the market.”

And a Meeting Place

Maureen added that while the provisions counter will have your picnic supplies, it would also serve as a bar, and become a meeting place downtown. “There you could say, ‘This is where I’m going to see you after work. Let’s get a quick drink—and by the way I’m going to pick up some bread and cheese on my way home.'”

They envision the Market being “all things for all people, and a real community gathering spot.” It will have ample places where people can be, hang out, and run into each other.

Food Events

The Market also will be a place where food events can happen. Events “in the basement area where there’s a cooking school, and then a big seating area,” explained Maureen. “And then up on the roof in the summertime we want to have some sort of event celebrating the bounty of the season. We are so lucky to have so many floors with so many things happening,”

This ground floor is mostly the site of the market side of things. Downstairs, with its lower ceiling heights, is appropriate for doing production—like spirits and wine, a wine cellar, cheese production, a bakery—where you can see things being made.

A Bookstore, Mustard, and James Beard

I mentioned earlier that on the ground floor of the Selling Building, there is a side entrance on 6th Avenue we walked into. This is where the bookstore and the restaurant will be. You can see it on the floor plan for the first floor, below.

Hans said, “We were talking to the contractor earlier today about how the walls will get torn down so we can feel the full space, so stay tuned for that.” The principal entry off 6th Avenue will be through a bookstore. “And how appropriate is a bookstore for James Beard?” said Hans. “This is how he revolutionized cuisine in America —through his cookbooks. The power of those cookbooks cannot be underestimated.”

Jessica Elkan, the Executive Director of the James Beard Public Market, said “When authors come to the Market from around the world, they are excited to launch their cookbooks here—they see it as a space where cookbook authors can come together. It’s really great placemaking.” They will have a kitchen, so they can do series of events along with the cookbook store, and are excited about the space and what it represents symbolically.

Hans also told a personal story about his connection with James Beard from his high school years, and it included mustard. “The bookstore that you will come into will be an ode to James Beard the author; the rest of the market is an ode to the mustard,” quipped Hans. BTW, the restaurant will be adjacent to the bookstore.

Jessica added, “James Beard was born in Portland in 1903, and the Yamhill Market on 5th and Yamhill—which he talked about—was not too far from what will be the James Beard Public Market. I think it’s really important to think about how this building, this space … James Beard walking up and down these streets, and how it all really ties together. It’s the perfect time, the perfect place, with the perfect partnerships.”

James Beard Memorabilia

There will also be lots of James Beard memorabilia given to them that you will see at the Market. “James Beard went to Reed College, and was kicked out of Reed for being gay. And even though he had that experience, he ended up donating most of his estate to Reed College,” explained Jessica.

It’s safe to say that Oregon had a significant influence on his life—the markets, the people. He spent a lot of time at the Oregon coast. The story goes that he had a friend fly Oregon Dungeness crab from Gearhart to his home in NYC. The Market wants to share stories of his life, like this one.

The Rite-Aid Building

They showed us a photo of this building. “We are bringing the building back to its purpose,” said Jessica. “It’s ready to come back to its glory.”

The Yellow Tape

You can see where some of the future vendor spaces are, marked off currently with yellow tape.

The elevator that’s currently there will be removed, and a cutout will be created in its place along with where the taped X is (see above). And you’ll be able to look all the way down to the basement where the cooking school and production (e.g., baking cheese, wine) will be.

There will be rimming around the cutout on the second floor—you’ll have bar stools against a counter and against a railing, so when you look up you can see people enjoying lunch, and they can look down and see what’s going on in the market. And there will be a skylight from the roof above all it. Natural light will flow through and unify the spaces all the way to the basement.

Vendors spaces will set up like a racetrack—a circular path. Make a lap, and see every vendor.

The Basement

We were told that it’s currently it’s too chopped up to tape out spaces like they did on the first floor.

It definitely had an atmospheric aspect to it.

There’s also a mosaic floor down there. “I’m sure we’re going to be finding a way to work it into the design because it’s a wonderful fragment.,” Hans said.

I really like the look of the wooden slatted ceiling.

Here is the floor plan for the basement.

A Teaching Kitchen

One of the things they are most excited about in the market is having a teaching kitchen on site, which will be in the basement. “We’re thrilled that we can use it as a space for chefs to come in,” said Jessica. “We envision having chefs in residence, for cooking classes, for kids to be able to come here for field trips throughout the Market and learn about healthy eating. And being to have a demonstration kitchen.”

They are also working with MESO (Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon) to assist emerging entrepreneurs in creating on-ramps for these business owners. The will be able to use the kitchen as a test kitchen, try out new products in real time and with real time feedback.

“The kitchen has always been a big vision of the James Beard Public Market,” said Jessica. We have always wanted to have that as a central focus, and to be able to do events downstairs around that kitchen is very exiting to all of us!”

Second Floor and the Roof Deck

One of the perks of the second floor is the skylight, which, as I mentioned before, will bring a lot of light into the Market as a whole.

Upstairs on the second floor, you’ll have the view looking out onto the street. You can sit at the window and enjoy prepared foods, fast casual dishes for lunch, or grab a bite after work.

Maureen says the roof deck will be “a glorious place,” where there will be a bar, planting beds, and outdoor shaded dining. It will be a wonderful and convivial place to be, especially in the warmer months.

Overall, the Market will have so many things going on in the building because of the variety of spaces.

Want To Be a Vendor at the James Beard Public Market?

One thing that was impressed upon us at the end of the tour was how they are eager to connect with vendors who would like to have a presence at the James Beard Public Market. On the Vendors page, you can find this:

“James Beard Public Market will curate a vibrant culinary ecosystem and support the development of exciting new food and beverage businesses. They will be ambassadors of Oregon’s edible landscape. If you’d like to be notified when our vendor selection process begins, please fill out the form below.” Here’s the link to that form.

And I loved this from Hans. “What’s old is new. Bringing this back as a wood building is a great honor because it tells a story. I’ve heard it said in architecture school that Oregon is like farm to table in both food and in building products. I think it’s very nice parallel.”

It was a really informative and interesting tour, and I am grateful to everyone involved who made this early site visit at the James Beard Public Market happen for us. It’s really satisfying to see the progress, learn all the little details of the vision, and know the future plans that are solidly in place. I’ll continue to follow this story and bring updates as I get them.

James Beard Public Market [opening 2025/2026]
SW 6th and Alder (622 SW Alder), Portland
James Beard Public Market website | Instagram