Cleveland’s West Side Market vendors are not just talking about the building’s big makeover, they are literally buying in. Merchants kicked off a three-week matching drive on May 6, aiming to pull in $100,000 for the market’s Transformation Project while construction on the long-planned renovation continues in the background.
The United West Side Market Tenants Association has pledged up to $50,000 from its own budget and will match public donations dollar for dollar through May 25, according to Cleveland.com. The Cleveland Public Market Corporation is coordinating the effort with the tenants group, and organizers set a shared goal of $100,000 during the three-week window. Tenants told the outlet the push is as much about signaling their commitment to the market’s future as it is about boosting the bottom line.
How the match works and where to give
Donations for the Transformation Project can be made online through the market’s donation page, West Side Market Transformation Project, or by mail to Cleveland Public Market Corporation at 1979 West 25th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113. The online portal outlines how gifts are processed and provides contact details for the nonprofit that manages the market.
Where this fits into the renovation
Market leaders say the match is designed to keep local support flowing into a roughly $70 million overhaul of the century-old landmark, a plan detailed by Cleveland Magazine. The renovation effort has already cleared more than $60 million in commitments, and the revamped KeyBank Produce Arcade served as the first finished phase of the project, according to News 5 Cleveland.
Organizers describe the tenants’ match as both a financial accelerator and a visible show of faith from the people who work the stalls every day. “It really highlights the full vision of what the project is intended to do for the Market, which is to preserve the historic architecture, enhance systems and restore aging infrastructure,” Cleveland Magazine quoted Cleveland Public Market Corporation executive director Rosemary Mudry as saying. The short, time-limited campaign, they added, is meant to build momentum as the next construction phases move ahead.
