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Paper short abstract:

Findlay Market, established in 1852, has evolved from a locus for provisioning to a mecca for gastrotourists while maintaining a balance between attracting tourists and selling products that remain true to its heritage as a place for neighborhood residents to satisfy their food shopping needs.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, we explore how producers, vendors, and consumers construct cultural meaning at Findlay Market in Cincinnati, OH. This market, established in 1852 as a place for local producers to sell their wares, has evolved from exclusively a locus for provisioning to a site with a robust tourist trade. As this urban market evolved, management had to maintain a balance between features that will attract tourists while also selling products that remain true to this historic landmark's heritage as a place for neighborhood residents to interact with producers and satisfy their food shopping needs. Additionally, we explore the perspective of the vendors who, by selling in these spaces, add a perception of added value to their wares. Consumers often feel a connection to the producers in these spaces and feel that they are creating a long-term buyer/seller relationship by purchasing from particular sellers. From the Durkheimian perspective, the public market circumvents the fear of not knowing the producer. From a Marxist perspective, the public market circumvents the idea of the alienation of the producer and the goods produced. These spaces accomplish this in two ways, either by providing a location where producers and consumers may interact or by creating the perception that the vendors have a connection to the production in some way. We are going beyond these symbolic and materialist perspectives to look at the agency model of production, exchange, and consumption.