Dallas Farmers Market to reopen new anchor market, The Shed, with four restaurants in the works
The Dallas Farmers Market, now a privately held corporation, will reopen partially new digs on Friday, Aug. 29. The Dallas Farmers Market is currently open and operating daily out of Shed 3.
According to a news release, The Shed, formally known as Shed 1, will feature new food vendors with a focus on local farmers and transparency through clearly labeled, high-quality produce. Carts will be made available for shopping and a stage will be built at the east end for weekend highlights including live music, chef demonstrations and cooking classes.
The Dallas Farmers Market also shared plans for Shed 2, which closed today for remodeling. The new Shed 2 will include four anchor restaurants with interior and patio dining, local artisan and food vendors and Mudhen, a 5,500-square-foot free-standing restaurant and beer garden from restaurateur Shannon Wynne. Shed 2 will reopen as The Market in spring 2015. (I’ve heard that Rex’s Seafood is also taking a restaurant space there.)
“The Dallas Farmers Market is a central part of downtown Dallas’ history, and it is taking on new life as we work to restore its vibrant role as one of our city’s major food destinations,” said Travis Morgan, director of operations at the Dallas Farmers Market. “The plans announced today mark meaningful and swift change for our farmers, our vendors and all who enjoy shopping at the Market, and we’re thrilled to have these milestones ahead of us.”
A much-needed parking structure for the market will also begin construction this fall. These developments will enhance the neighborhood by providing a compelling shopping and dining destination for visitors while improving the quality of life for the growing population of downtown residents.
The Dallas Farmers Market began in the late 1800s with farmers selling from wagons and evolved into a brisk wholesale business at the intersection of Pearl and Cadiz streets around 1900. In 1939, the site of the Dallas Farmers Market was formalized and the first shed established. It was officially sanctioned as a municipally owned and operated market in December 1941. DF Market Holdings, LLC bought the market from the city in May 2013 and leads the revitalization of the year-round attraction. One of the nation’s leading food destinations, on its two most popular days each week – Thursdays and Sundays – approximately 78 metric tons of produce moves through the market to fruit stands and restaurants from Oklahoma to Arkansas. In addition to the daytime market, which is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the DFM operates a nighttime wholesale market from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. that is open to chefs and the public from May to November.
Dallas Farmers Market, 1010 S. Pearl Expressway, Dallas