The Kind of Market That Might be Needed in Cleveland

It has been pointed out that there were 101 dealers occupying stalls inside Central Market and 80 dealers using stands outside for selling merchandise. Any new market constructed should provide adequate facilities for all dealers desiring space. In planning a new market consideration should be given to the possibility that the market might need to be expand at some future time and to the possibility that some alternative use might need to be made of the facility it it is not needed for market purposes at some later date.

Appropriations for the construction of a new market have been voted upon by the citizens of Cleveland, and, as has been said, the available funds are known to be approximately $1,000,000. Regardless of the availability of funds, extreme caution should be exercised by those responsible for the building of the market to make sure it is not overbuilt. The facilities constructed should provide for present needs only, and the investment should be no larger than can be liquidated from current operating revenues over a reasonable period. To insure against overbuilding, a wise policy to be followed before construction is started would be to obtain a lease from all persons who would use the market. The market should be modern, durable, and of simple design, and consideration should be given to the inclusion of parking space for patrons and others.

Retail Market Building

In order to find out the area required and to illustrate how stalls, stands, and other facilities might be arranged in a new market building to meet the needs of dealers and buyers, a suggested layout on one of the sites to be considered later is shown in figure 4. The layout provides space for those dealers who stated they would move to a new market. However, if some dealers do not sign leases for facilities in the new market, the size of the building should be reduced accordingly. Some dealers occupying stands outside of the Central Market building stated during the survey that they would prefer stall space inside a new market building. The proposed layout provides space as requested by these dealers.

The building proper in the proposed layout is 218 feet long and 110 feet wide, including the walls. The roof of the building would extend over outside stands, which are provided on one side and end of the building because some dealers preferred to continue to operate outside the market building. The over-all dimensions of the building, including the outside stands, are 258 feet long and 134 feet wide.

The building should be constructed of reinforced concrete and concrete blocks or bricks, the choice depending upon the cost of the materials. Either type of structure may be easily maintained in a sanitary condition and is durable and rodent-proof. Tile blocks are not recommended for areas where vehicles move because they can be broken and this condition would permit rodent infestation.

Space is provided in the building for 137 stalls, 9 feet wide by 9 feet deep, all of which face 9-foot aisles. These stalls would provide dealers inside the building with about 11,100 square feet of space as compared with about 8,250 square feet inside the Central Market building. In addition to these stalls, space is planned for fish dealers in a partitioned room. This room contains 6 stalls, 9 feet wide by 9 feet deep, racing a 9-foot center aisle, and would provide 486 square feet of stall apace. Space for a restaurant 36 feet wide by 45 feet deep, including the kitchen, also is included in the layout.

On the outside of the building the layout provides 76 stands, 8 feet wide by 8 feet deep, facing an 8-foot walkway These stands would provide 4,864 square feet of space, as compared with 5,556 square feet outside the Central Market building.

The first floor of the building should have at least an 10-foot ceiling. At one side of the building a mezzanine floor could be built to contain offices, public toilets, employee and storage rooms, and such other services as might be needed. The mezzanine could be 36 feet wide and 72 feet deep, or even larger if it were determined that more space could be used advantageously. The floor of the mezzanine should be about 81/2 feet above the first floor, which would leave a 9-foot ceiling on the mezzanine.

A 10-foot one-way drive is provided on the outside of the stands on Bolivar Road to permit dealers to unload produce to be sold in stands outside the building. With such a driveway, dealers could unload products without interfering with vehicular or pedestrian traffic on adjacent streets. For dealers operating inside the building, an unloading platform at or near truck-bed height is provided at the rear, from which they could transport their supplies to their stalls by use of hand trucks.

Any retail market constructed to service buyers and dealers would need parking space. Because of the high cost of land in the downtown area of Cleveland, it would be desirable to provide this space on the root and in the basement of the building and in nearby areas. In the proposed layout, ramps are provided at one end of the building so as to give access to the basement and roof. Provision for additional parking space should be considered if areas are available adjacent to the site selected for the market.

The cost of constructing parking space on the roof and in the basement would represent only a small increase in the total cost of the building. In a basement could be placed garbage and trash containers into which garbage could move by chutes from the first floor. The basement could extend under the outside stands and be of the same size and dimension as the roof.

The roof could provide 110 parking spaces, 8 by 20 feet each, and the basement, 90 parking spaces in addition to the space for garbage and trash containers. Some storage could be provided in the basement for tables and other equipment. Also, if the market were located adjacent to a public cold storage warehouse and refrigerant could be procured at o reasonable cost, it might be desirable to use a part of the basement for the construction of cooler apace. This determination would have to be made after the market site was selected.

Equipment to be Included in the Market

Some special equipment could be provided for dealers on the new market, such as new tables of steel or hardwood for the use of stand holders outside of the market. Since each dealer’s stand would be 8 by 8 feet, the table should not be more then 3 by 6 feet. This size would permit a 2-foot drop leaf to be hinged to the table to close off the entrance to the stall and for use of the dealer in making sales. The top of the table should be so constructed that it could be adjusted to a tilt for displaying merchandise, such adjustment not to exceed a 45° angle.  Each dealer’s stand could be marked off so that it would not be necessary to have a permanent partition between stands. Dealers selling outside Central Market did not have a partitioned stand.

The buyers’ side of the stalls inside the building would be built up to the bottom of the showcase level, or a height of about 3 feet, with good brick, glazed tile, or concrete blocks. On top of this structure the tenant could place the showcase or other display counter, which would be 7 feet long by 3 feet deep, leaving a 2-foot entrance to the stand. Arrangements should be made to provide a 2-foot-wide by 3-foot-deep metal or hardwood board hinged to the built-up stand which would close its entrance and provide the dealer a place to wrap packages and make sales. Because of the variability in the type of operations and commodities sold by dealers in the market, it is recommended that each dealer be required to furnish his own showcase or other container for displaying products. It also should be the responsibility of the tenant to provide equipment that would meet the sanitary specifications established by the city. Tenants’ stalls could be partitioned by use of durable steel paneling or closely woven steel netting, but should be constructed so they could be removed if desired. The panels should be approximately 6 feet high. Fluorescent lighting should be provided over each stall.

In order to permit dealers in stands outside the building to operate on a year-round basis, it is recommended that overhead doors be placed at the rear of the stands at the edge of the overhanging roof for use during inclement weather and the winter months. Small access doors and windows should be placed in the overhead doors. In periods of cold weather the doors could be levered and the dealers given protection while selling.

Days of Marketing

Central Market operated 3 days a week–Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. During the survey many tenants in the market expressed the view that this custom should be continued; others recommended 4 and 5 marketing days a week; while in some instances 6 days were recommended.

It should be recognized that with only a 3-day marketing week, the overhead costs per day of market operation are approximately double what they would be were the market open 6 days a week. The costs that would be increased by keeping the market open 5 days would include lights, water, beat, sanitation, policing, and the like, but the major expenses of the market, including interest and amortization payments, would remain the same, regardless of the number of days the market were used. Therefore, it might be desirable to keep the market open every day of the week except Sunday and Monday. Since many of the tenants in Central Market were not gainfully employed during the days the market was closed, this practice might be to their advantage. If the market were to be opened 5 days each week, it would be desirable that those tenants who propose to operate all 5 days should be concentrated, insofar as possible, in one area of the market. This practice would result in savings of light and other facilities and would be of convenience to buyers.

Regardless of the days of market operation, the restaurant should be permitted to operate every day of the week. The restaurant, as planned, would be located in a separate part of the market building, making it possible to close the door between it and the market proper when the market is closed.