Tenth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

In this paper, I explore the social and economic life of Findlay Market. The public market represents a space where a welcoming and civil atmosphere is the background for social interactions; however, as the socioeconomic status of visitors has changed, the role of the market is shifting from being the social infrastructure for low-income neighborhood residents to being a locus of productive leisure for more affluent suburbanites. The market is a cosmopolitan canopy which is part of the social infrastructure of Cincinnati where visitors and vendors build community and where social actors use it differently depending on their status and priorities.