Minneapolis Farmers Market at 312 East Lyndale has been a source of fresh produce and products for people throughout the Twin Cities since it opened back in 1937.
Its roots go back even deeper, however…to 1876 when Minneapolis’ first fruit and vegetable market opened at First and Hennepin. We are so accustomed to having fresh fruits and vegetables readily available it is easy to forget that it hasn’t always been this way. At that time it was one of the few sources of fresh produce and customers and vendors came from up to 20 miles away. When the next market opened at 3rd Avenue and 6th-7th Streets in 1891 over 400 vendors came from as far away as 60 miles, a long distance in those days with horse and buggy cart.
Today Minneapolis Farmers Market is a bustling marketplace with about 240 vendors sharing 170 stalls offering a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, food vendors and other marketplace items.
The Lyndale location is open from 6:00 am to 1:00 pm seven days a week mid-April through mid-November, and their Nicollet Mall Market is open 6:00 am to 6:00 pm on Thursdays. The Lyndale location sells Christmas trees mid-November through December 25, and some vendors continue on Saturdays throughout the year. Both selection and crowds are biggest on Saturdays and Sundays. If you don’t like crowds, Fridays are a good time to go…selection is still good, but crowds are much smaller.
When we arrived on Saturday morning the streets were filled with cars and our first loop yielded no place to park. Don’t despair, however…people are constantly coming and going and on our next loop we found multiple parking spaces. As our grandson’s face confirms, the delicious corn alone was worth the trip!
Nestled between I-94 and downtown Minneapolis, this area isn’t residential. There are some lofts and condos, including true warehouse conversions, within walking distance, however. You can see my favorite warehouse loft conversion project at International Market Square in the background in the photo above.
Click here to see properties currently for sale in International Market Square (look for the dot to the left of I-94) and the nearby warehouse district of Minneapolis. (Please be patient while the link searches for the most current listings…pass your cursor over the dots on the map for property information.)
Love the IMS building as well but my money is on 801 Washington North for loft conversion – Great article!
Thanks. Even though IMS is my favorite in spite of no underground parking, I also love 801 Washington…and having Babalu right across the street doesn’t hurt! 🙂