A Free First Public Market Vending Day for City-Based Businesses
The City of Rochester Public Market offers vending space year-round, and the chance to interface with a large, diverse, enthusiastic, and loyal customer base. Qualifying businesses and products can get on the Market year-round with relative ease—making it a great place to test and grow a business, product, customer base and customer service, and marketing!
The Market offers City residents running qualifying City-based businesses a first vending day for free, in a 10’ x 30’ daily outdoor/covered shed vending space at the Market.
Qualifying Businesses/Products
For-profit* businesses based in the City of Rochester, and run by City residents, that sell:
- Produce, Farm/Agricultural
Products
- Other Foods such as
Baked Goods and
Packaged Beverages**
- General Merchandise (must be new merchandise, not used)
- Arts and Crafts (new or hand-made/home-made, not used)
* Non-profits selling qualifying products already are entitled to one free vending day/stall at the Market per year.
** Prepared Foods for consumption on site do not qualify.
Process and Requirements
Qualifying businesses can try for their free day on any regular Market day, year-round: Tuesdays and Thursdays (6 a.m. to 1 pm. Market hours) and Saturdays (5 a.m. to 3 p.m.). With Saturdays being the busiest Market days, we expect most participants would select Saturday for maximum exposure.
The vending location for a qualifying business will vary on each Market day, depending on availability and product type. Daily vending stalls are assigned first to local farm/agricultural products, then 'other foods,' then general merchandise, then arts/crafts.
One 10’ wide by 30’ deep vending stall is available each Market day for this program first-come, first-served to
qualifying vendors that complete the required vendor application and submit any required documentation, permits, etc. for their product type.
All applicants for this program must complete a daily vending application and submit all required documentation such as a physical copy of a tax ID document, and review the entire packet of instructions and information for prospective daily vendors. Businesses qualifying for the free day would not have to follow all the instructions for regular daily vending for their free day--such as the required call-in and walk-through--but would for any subsequent vending days at the Market, so we want vendors participating in this program to be familiar with the regular daily vendor process.
The daily vending application and instruction packet can be found on this web site at www.cityofrochester.gov/marketvendors, or at the Market Office, 280 North Union Street, Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. But we recommend calling the Market at the number below to get custom assistance/instruction with the application, to make it as easy and seamless as possible.
Businesses wishing to return to the Market after their free day will follow the regular daily vendor process as prescribed in the application/instruction packet.
Questions?
Call the Market at 585-428-6907 Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Or, email us at pmarket@cityofrochester.gov.
See you at the Market!
Return to the Main Market Page