Boise’s Capital City Public Market opens Saturday, but not in the usual place
The Easter Bunny isn’t scheduled to make an appearance Saturday at The Grove Plaza in downtown Boise. Nonetheless, the plaza is expected to attract large crowds looking for Easter gifts or something to eat or drink.
The Capital City Public Market, in operation since 1994, will open its 2022 season from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the plaza, 827 W. Main St. It features agricultural products, artwork and specialty foods.
“We had an amazing presence on Idaho Street but The Grove is the original location for the market more than 20 years ago,” Janel Miles, president of the market’s board of directors, said by phone. “It’s still going to be pretty visible.”
Miles, co-owner of My Family Tradition Sauce & Rub Co., said she expects 8,000 to 10,000 visitors at Saturday’s market, compared to 15,000 each weekend when it was on Idaho Street. The market will open with about 55 vendors and ramp up to 70 in the next few weeks, she said.
“After everything that happened the last two years with the pandemic, it will be nice to bring traffic back into downtown Boise,” she said. “All the businesses on The Grove are excited to have us there.”
The opening of the Capital City market follows the Boise Farmers Market, which began its weekly Saturday walk-thru and drive-thru markets on April 2. That market, founded in 2013 and featuring mostly agricultural products and food, is located at 1500 Shoreline Drive. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 29.
For the Capital City Public Market, it’s the third location in the past year.
Last year, the market started on Idaho Street, then moved in September to 34th Street in Garden City, next to the Greenbelt. The change of locations took place after the city of Boise required proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative coronavirus test for gatherings of more than 250 people, after Idaho instituted statewide crisis standards of care.
This time, the move to The Grove is because of road construction projects taking place downtown. The market will remain there through the 2022 season, which ends on Dec. 17.
On March 7, the city dropped all COVID-19 restrictions for public events and for entry into public buildings. The market recommends that customers continue to maintain distance of 6 feet between other people and wash or sanitize hands often.
