Be a part of the public market
James Beard Public Market will curate a vibrant culinary ecosystem and support the development of exciting new food and beverage businesses. These vendors will be the ambassadors of Oregon’s edible landscape.
If you’d like to be notified when our vendor selection process begins, please fill out the form below.
Our Vendor Application form will be available at the end of January 2025.
Fill out our Vendor Interest form below.
Who can apply to be a vendor?
Any food & beverage and food related business will be considered. Business based or made/grown in Oregon or adjacent communities are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to Oregon businesses.
What are the selection criteria and how are they weighted?
We will publish more detail about our selection criteria in January 2025. But there are a few principles that we know will guide vendor selection. This market is focused on supporting Oregon businesses. Preferences will be given to those who grow, raised, or produce in Oregon and the Oregon Food Shed. For prepared food vendors, preference is given to those that plan to use a mix of locally sourced products in their oerings. Both established and new businesses are welcome to apply.
The JBPM seeks vendors who oer product freshness, consistency, uniqueness, ethnic diversity, and a wide variety of price points. We are committed to maintaining excellent product diversity and curating a mix of vendors that allow each to be successful. Prospective vendors are evaluated across a variety of categories including product concept and quality, local sourcing, and business plan.
How is our location within the market decided?
Available stalls are leased based on the best fit. Considerations include infrastructural needs, size, and neighboring vendors.
What if we are a new business?
All vendors who submit an application will be considered for a space. We can work with you through the process by providing links to resources for application assistance.
May I apply with another vendor who will share an indoor space with me?
Yes.
Does the market have any shared storage or refrigeration?
Health department regulations prohibit shared storage. Each vendor must plan their own storage within their leased stall space.
Is there a limit to the number of vendors in each product category?
Not necessarily. The market will have roughly 40 vendor stalls meaning that we will have multiple prepared food, beverage and fresh food vendors. Some categories may only have one vendor in each category, others may have more. Overall, the goal is to assemble a variety of vendors that will allow all to be economically successful.
Will we be allowed to design our own spaces?
All selected vendors will receive a copy of our Vendor Handbook to help inform their booth’s build out/design and maintain overall market standards, while keeping each individual vendor’s unique look and feel. We will work with vendors and the construction/design team throughout the process.
Will vendors be working with JBPM contractors or their own contractor for booth buildouts?
Vendors will work with our preferred contractors. JBPM will monitor the entire build-out process closely. Additional information on the buildout process will be available with the vendor application process.
Does food need to go in and out daily?
No – permanent vendors keep their goods at the market overnight.
Will our merchandise be safe after the market closes? Will the building have security?
The market is locked after the market closes. We have security and an electronic security system. It is best practice to have cases that can be locked and sealed.
Does the market operate as an entire entity or as a series of smaller businesses from a permitting perspective?
All vendors will be responsible to operate independently as businesses and food operations. This will require working within the vendor agreement of the James Beard Public Market as well as local and state regulations in Multnomah County for safety and compliance.
How long are lease terms?
We expect that most will have 1–3-year lease agreements. For some of our vendors requiring more intensive build outs, we expect longer lease terms.
Could you clarify what will be included in the rental agreement? Will there be additional charges for utilities, maintenance, insurance, marketing and security? What percentage of sales should we oer to pay to cover these expenses?
All leases will be negotiated individually and may include: Base rent for space + percentage of sales + utilities (booth & shared) = total monthly expense. Vendors’ monthly expenses (as defined above) will cover all common items such as: security, janitorial, trash, marketing, advertising, master insurance, and other common expenses. The utility charges will reflect the individual booth’s utility use and a shared portion of the overall market’s utilities.
If there is a percentage of sales as part of my lease what will the percentage of sales be? We will negotiate a percentage of sales with each vendor individually.
Is it mandatory that stalls are open when the market is open? When does that allow for a vendor’s stall renovation?
Most markets are 8am to 8pm. These hours may be adjusted. All vendors are required to operate during market hours whatever they may be. Maintenance is typically conducted in o hours, but we will work with you to accommodate your needs with repairs and renovations.
Is the market air conditioned and heated?
Yes, indoor locations are heated and air conditioned.
What are the delivery limitations and hours for loading dock access?
We will work with a trac consultant to maximize the use of the loading area in front of the building and are currently addressing vendor loading plans.
Vendors will be asked to deliver on a schedule that will extend beyond market hall hours. Aggregators, such as a guild or co-op will need to be mindful of limiting individual deliveries as part of their operations plan and we will work with vendors to find solutions. Applicants should take into account the amount of dry and cold storage needed in their stalls to reduce the number of deliveries needed.
Are there parking spaces for vendors?
There is a parking lot across the street and other downtown parking lots. We will work to establish a vendor parking area but this is not guaranteed at this point.
Is there Wi-Fi?
Yes, there is a secure internal Wi-Fi system that is not publicly accessible.
How will inspections be done?
If you are an existing business an inspector will come out to view your fields or production facility initially and then on an ongoing, random basis. Regarding produce, we have agreed that our vendors will not source from commercial growers and need to make sure they are growing their products on their land. For prepared foods, we want to verify that their facilities are in the Pacific NW region and utilize local ingredients whenever possible.
Can non-edible items that are related to agriculture and food be sold?
The primary business of the market is food and beverage and any non-food item can only be sold with approval of market management
If we were to suer a total crop failure from factors such as a hailstorm or killing frost, would we be allowed to bring in products from other growers?
Yes, we would ask that you inform the market management sta of the supplemental vendors ASAP. Those vendors who have not yet worked with JBPM will be subject to inspection to ensure compliance with our local mandate.
Our products are seasonal, we have a very small quantity of fruit to sell in the months May-July. Would we be allowed to sublet our space for the months when we don’t have products or bring in outsourced products from other growers?
Priority will be given to vendors who sell 12 months of the year. There will be occasional sublease and short term leases for seasonal vendors though those vendors will not be part of the initial vendor selection process.
We run a prepared food business — how much of a local food to imported food ratio is acceptable?
It depends on several factors, and we will work with each vendor to determine what this ratio will be. We will have a preference for businesses preparing foods with local products and hope you will source regionally as much as possible.