When I lived in the Gresham area of Oregon, I would enjoy visiting the weekly market as often as my schedule would allow. In my experience, the best time of year to visit this market was during the fall. Having recently moved to the Forest Grove area, I have not yet had the chance to visit Forest Grove’s local market, but, with an open Wednesday night and pleasant weather, I decided to take a walk and check it out.
The first thing that caught my attention was the various scents of food wafting through the air. The market offered a variety of food to try; from churros to boba tea, and fresh bread to kettle corn. Having forgotten to bring cash with me I was unable to try any of it, however, I was able to try some free samples of tea hand-crafted by Free and Wild Tea. I also tried the North West Chai which was refreshing and light, as well as Capitol Hill coffee, which was a little too sweet for my taste.
The market also had many non-food-related booths to visit. My favorite by far was Artesanias La Poblana–a small booth that sells handmade earrings, bags, trinkets, and cookware all made by the family members in the booth themselves. There is also a booth that makes homemade pet treats that are perfect for your furry friend. GX Family Garden creates beautiful and unique flower bouquets for half the cost of the grocery store. For the fresh food connoisseurs, there are multiple produce stalls, allowing one to buy whatever produce is in season. Each booth had its own unique selection of produce with minor overlap.
Despite the different wares sold, the overall market was very underwhelming. It only took 5 minutes to walk from one end to the other, and I was disappointed in the overwhelming amount of food rather than material products. In Gresham, one could spend an hour visiting the various booths with a larger variety of material products and food. Although it is an important part of Forest Grove culture, I think it could use more diversity to appeal to a greater audience. — Jazmine Henning
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