Counterintuitive to Portland’s food-centric culture, the city hasn’t had a public market since the closure of the Portland Public Market in 1942. Portlanders have access to a robust farmers market scene, but the city has been long devoid of a permanent public market in the vein of the Milwaukee Public Market or Philly’s Reading Terminal Market.
The James Beard Public Market (JBPM), which has been in the works for over two decades, is anticipated to open its doors in summer 2026. The market—touted as “Portland’s kitchen” because of its close proximity to “Portland’s living room,” Pioneer Courthouse Square—will feature a cheesemonger, butcher, cookbook shop, teaching kitchen, wine bar, restaurant, rooftop bar/event space, and more. Roughly 40 vendor spaces (plus seasonal pop-ups!) will showcase Oregon’s wide range of homegrown products, from cheese and wine to hazelnuts and mushrooms.
“In many ways, it’s telling our collective Oregon story through food,” says James Beard Public Market executive director Jessica Elkan. “You’re getting to know the people who are growing your food, and the intimacy that comes from that is really special.”
Though the market is located in Portland, it will be a point of connection for the entire state, helping to bridge rural and urban communities through the thousands of Oregon-made products available there. The nonprofit behind it says communities across the state are invested in its success, including the Oregon Coast’s fishers and crabbers, ranchers in Central Oregon, and cheesemakers in Southern Oregon.
In gathering inspiration and researching public markets around the world, Elkan points out that thriving markets act as community anchors that help forge the identity of a city. The human connection made between food growers, farmers, makers, and consumers is a key part of why people visit markets when they travel—to London’s Borough Market or Chatuchak in Bangkok, for example. “Public markets are intentional placemaking,” says Elkan. “[They’re] critical to the culture and identity of cities and neighborhoods.” Visitors are able to experience the food and also get a slice-of-life glimpse at a city’s cultural identity.
Part of the market’s long journey to fruition is attributed to the challenge of finding a site that fit the needs of the project. In cities like Boston and San Francisco, public markets have repurposed spaces that no longer served their original public use (a building constructed for the Big Dig project and the Ferry Building, respectively). Portland did not have a similar site available, so the organization needed to find a viable space that was either existing or new construction that fit the market’s needs.
Since the plans for the JBPM have kicked into high gear, many have drawn comparisons to Seattle’s Pike Place Market—but the team behind JBPM looked at examples of successful markets across the country and around the world when developing the project. Elkan, who is active in a leadership network through the nonprofit Project for Public Spaces, has studied markets in countries like South Africa and Vietnam, where the government recently announced new investments into the hundreds of public wet markets.
“There are so many great public markets that are very collaborative and want to share their models,” says Elkan. “There’s decades, if not centuries, of wisdom that we can take as we build.”
The JBPM is being envisioned as part of a larger ecosystem, working in tandem with organizations like the Portland Farmers Market and even Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center in the Pearl District. Barcelona, Spain provides an example of how neighborhood markets are able to work collaboratively with the Mercat de la Boqueria, the city’s largest market. While each neighborhood market may offer different products or be known for something specific, they work together as a robust network in order to support farmers and small business owners.
One of the market’s main goals is to have a diverse mixture of businesses in order to create a holistic shopping experience for the consumer. If someone comes to do their weekly shopping or pops in with a recipe they want to make, the market hopes to provide most of what’s on their list. While narrowing down vendors from the nearly 100 applications received during an open call earlier this spring, the market’s vendor selection committee also curated a balance between established businesses and emerging entrepreneurs.
“That kind of mixture makes [the market] culturally rich,” says Elkan. “Because you have a heritage brand that people know and are excited [about], but they’re next to someone who’s never had a stall before. And this is their opportunity to get experience and that economic opportunity.”
Another part of the JBPM’s mission is to operate “with a fundamental sense of responsibility towards our diverse and marginalized communities.” The nonprofit wants Portland’s immigrant communities to be represented at the market in different ways. As Elkan recounts, the market’s namesake, James Beard, loved to cook and eat Chinese food using local ingredients “because of the roles and influence Portland’s Chinese community had on his life.” The market hopes to channel this energy, exploring the cultural influences of the newer and historic immigrant communities in Portland.
In keeping with the goal of providing entrepreneurial opportunities, the market’s operating model allows for some vendors to pay reduced or subsidized rents for what Elkan calls an “on-ramp to entrepreneurship.” The market is also working with nonprofits like MESO (Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon) to create a pipeline for prospective entrepreneurs to move from the ideation stage to launching their businesses. The executive director points out that public markets have historically been pillars of strength during economically fraught times because they provide infrastructure and development opportunities.
From the consumer side, market vendors will accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. “Public markets act as food equalizers,” says Elkan. “It’s about providing fresh, local, sustainable food to all people and creating that accessibility.”
The market won’t just be a retail space where consumers can shop for food or enjoy a meal and drinks. The nonprofit has big plans for the market’s teaching kitchen, which will be a space where kids can learn about nutrition and local seasonal ingredients, chefs will have cooking demonstrations, and classes will be available to community members of different culinary skill levels. Elkan also conceptualizes the space as an entrepreneurial hub that small businesses can use as a test kitchen or the place where the market can host a chef-in-residence program.
The nonprofit also runs Oregon Taste, an online directory that connects consumers to CSAs and independent producers like farmers, fishers, and ranchers. Launched in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic put plans for the market on hold, it has been building momentum for the upcoming market with its Oregon Taste of the Month series, which highlights seasonal local ingredients like Dungeness crab, truffles, and hazelnuts. The monthly events will continue when the market opens.
As the market expands its programming, patrons can look forward to a multi-faceted bill of fare at any given time: an author touring with their cookbook, an apple tasting, a “meet the farmer” event, a rooftop gardening glass. With the wealth of culinary talent in Portland, the JBPM wants to make sure there’s always something exciting and fresh on the menu.
“The market can be a connective tissue in a lot of these different things that are happening in the community,” says Elkan. “What’s the most amazing way to connect with people? Through food.”
The James Beard Public Market is scheduled to open in summer 2026. 622 SW Alder, jamesbeardpublicmarket.com
