Morning Glory Markets takes over management of Pelham Market

By Kiran Schwaderer and Amina Pucci|June 14, 2022

The Pelham Market, which is set to run Sundays through Thanksgiving, is no longer operated by the Pelham Chamber of Commerce. Effective as of the first market on May 29, Morning Glory Markets is in charge of the event this season.

Pelham residents Jane Sweeney and Amy Cole, who ran the market for two years on behalf of the chamber, reached out to Morning Glory about switching management.

“Amy and Jane started (the market) as a community project,” said Morning Glory Markets founder Pascale Le Draoulec. “They approached me and asked me if I could take it to the next level. Most of my markets were twice the size of this one, so my goal was to grow it, and we’ve already added a meat vendor and an organic farm. I hope to encourage people to use fresh local ingredients and cook and not have it just be all prepared food. We’re really trying to bring a lot of the local foods that the Hudson Valley has to offer to Pelham.”

The Pelham Market takes place downtown at Fifth and Harmon avenues.

Other markets run by Morning Glory include those in Hastings, Bronxville, Irvington, Chappaqua and the Wednesday New York Botanical Market in the Bronx. Le Draoulec said the Pelham Market was one of the smaller markets she’s worked with, since her other markets have 30 to 50 vendors. However, since her company took over, the Pelham event has doubled the number of vendors.

According to Le Draoulec, Morning Glory is very careful about curating the vendors at the markets it runs. It’s important to have less duplication, and instead, a well-chosen variety of tents at the event. At the same time, Le Draoulec said she likes to make sure people are having a good time.

“I don’t like markets to be transactional,” she said. “I like it when it’s a fun event, where people can come, get away from the screens and relax for a bit. Focus on good food, good music and good vibes.” 

Morning Glory Markets runs events that are producer-only. This means vendors must grow or make the products they sell, with few exceptions. See the specific vendor requirements here.

Markets should be “about community, and it’s really important that the farmers market becomes the town square, where community groups can come and advocate for themselves,” Le Draoulec said. “It should be the center of town.”