About Us

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Welcome to Our Community

 

The South Loop Farmers Market Story

 

For more than a decade, South Loop Farmers Market has been a catalyst for Chicago’s local food movement and a vibrant gathering place for the South Loop community. Our mission is rooted in creating meaningful experiences while providing economic opportunities for local farmers, food producers, makers, artists, musicians, and small businesses.

 

Our story began in 2012 at the historic Wheeler Mansion in Chicago’s Prairie District. After a two-season hiatus, we returned in 2015 with a Thursday evening market on Michigan Avenue at Second Presbyterian Church, where we remained for the next eight seasons.

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In 2020, when farmers markets were deemed essential businesses during the pandemic, we continued serving the community through our outdoor market and launched a virtual market offering pickup and delivery. That experience reinforced what we have always believed: markets are about more than shopping. They are about connection, resilience, and community.

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In 2021, we expanded to Printers Row Park with a Saturday morning market that quickly became one of our most beloved locations. As demand grew, we expanded the market while preserving the intimate neighborhood feel that makes Printers Row so special.

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In 2022, our Thursday evening market moved to the larger NEMA site at Michigan Avenue and Roosevelt Road, adjacent to Grant Park, where we hosted two successful summer seasons and continued to grow our vendor community.

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In January 2023, we launched our first Winter Indoor Market at Roosevelt Collection Shops. The market was an immediate success and demonstrated the demand for year-round gathering spaces centered around local food, small business, and community.

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In 2024, our Thursday summer market moved to Roosevelt Collection Shops and evolved into a larger Night Market experience featuring local food, ready-to-eat vendors, makers, live music, family programming, wellness activities, and community experiences across both indoor and outdoor spaces.

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In 2025, we returned to Roosevelt Collection Shops for our second Winter Indoor Market season and expanded again with a second winter location on Sunday afternoons at the iconic Water Tower Place on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

 

In January 2026, we returned to Roosevelt Collection Shops for our third Winter Indoor Market season and to Water Tower Place for a second winter season. That partnership received international recognition when the Water Tower Place Winter Farmers Market was honored with a 2026 ICSC Global MAXI Silver Award for excellence in experiential marketing and innovative community programming.

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In summer 2026, we proudly returned to Printers Row for another season of our Saturday morning farmers market, continuing a tradition that has become an important part of the neighborhood.

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Through every season and every location, our purpose remains the same: to create inclusive, diverse, and vibrant gathering places that support local farmers, food producers, makers, artists, musicians, and independent businesses while giving Chicagoans meaningful opportunities to connect.

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We believe markets can be more than places to shop. They can be third spaces, cultural experiences, small-business incubators, and catalysts for stronger communities.

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We are deeply grateful to our vendors, community partners, property partners, sponsors, artists, musicians, and loyal customers who continue to support us year after year.

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What began as a small neighborhood market in 2012 has grown into a year-round community platform rooted in local food, entrepreneurship, creativity, and connection.

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We are proud of how far we have come — and even more excited about what comes next.