Food, music and art were the focus of the first Reading Roots Market.
Friday’s event was presented by Downtown Reading, Penn Street Market and GoggleWorks Center for the Arts.
The market, held at GoggleWorks’ 201 Washington Street site, was designed to amplify and bring together the work the three companies were already doing individually, said Maritza Loaiza, Downtown Reading coordinator.
The event was part food market, part craft fair and part food festival, and was designed to highlight the shops, restaurants and other amenities of the city center.
“GoggleWorks has great artists, great artisans and a great presence in the community,” Loaiza said. “And with Downtown Reading, we just want to highlight everything we have downtown, other great partners, all of our great little shops and restaurants.”
Another component is the collaboration with the Penn Street Market, she said. The seasonal farmers market takes place Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the 600 block of Penn Street.
“But not everyone can make it to the market in the morning or during the day,” Loaiza said. “So hosting an evening market gives people the opportunity to get away from work, buy some produce, look at art, listen to music, grab some delicious food and drinks, and just have a great evening in downtown Reading.”
The event also provided an opportunity to meet some of the GoggleWorks artists, chat with them, and purchase some of their work.
The name of the event came to the organizers’ mind because both the presenting institutions and the participating artists and traders are all rooted in the city.
The partners are planning additional Reading Roots Market evenings for September 20 and October 18 and hope to make this a regular seasonal event.
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