Every Sunday from May through October, the open-air SoWa Market in Boston’s South End entices with food, craft, and vintage market finds – plus food trucks!
Over the past several years, Boston has created a weekend attraction that may surpass Freedom Trail in sheer gravitational pull. It’s the SoWa Market (SoWa being a concatenation of “South of Washington Street), and it’s an open-air food/craft/vintage market with food trucks spread over two parking lots and an old warehouse building in the South End. Intrigued? Follow me!
The noble tower of the Pine Street Inn, a replica of the Torre del Mangia in Siena, looms above the SoWa market.
The market is located on Harrison Avenue, between Randolph Street and Paul Sullivan Way. You’ll find a public parking lot ($5 during market hours) on Randolph. Park there, walk around the corner, and the first thing you’ll encounter is the farmer’s market, where booths are stacked with beautiful produce, fresh flowers, spices, meats, prepared foods, maple syrup, honey, and even clothing from The Fashion Truck.
Valicenti pasta. Joshua Davidson of Nutting Farm Maple Syrup. Herbs and spices from Soluna Garden Farm.
Continue heading northeast on Harrison Avenue and you’ll see the craft market, which is bordered to the north by a line of food trucks. Grab lunch here, then browse stalls stocked with jewelry, clothing, baby gear, art prints, hats, stationery, and all kinds of crafty/handmade treasures.
These shoppers were in town from Montreal. Jewelry from Stonehouse Studio. Glitter baby booties from Kaya’s Kloset. Artist Carrie Wagner of SepiaLepus Illustrations. I purchased this whimsical map of the New England coastline from Carrie.
The last major section of the SoWa Market lives in a sprawling former warehouse on the southern side of the plaza. It’s the indoor vintage market. The goods here are eclectic: midcentury furniture, old prints, vintage campaign buttons, plastic jewelry, clothing, even a bowl of bison teeth.
The Vintage Market building. Shabby chic/French Country/gorgeous goods at the Painted Pretty booth.
Have I convinced you to go? The outdoor SoWa Market is open from 10am – 4pm, every Sunday from May through October. The indoor vintage market is open year-round. And since this is prime farmer’s market season, I suggest you get there soon.
Amy Traverso
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee and cohost of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with GBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
SoWa Vintage Market is open YEAR ROUND, including winter featuring 30 rotating vendors in everything from vintage art + furnishings + decor, to couture (vintage and current), vintage fashion, jewelry + accessories to oddities and eclectics. You never know what you will find but you will find an interesting afternoon diversion + prized possessions that speak to the heart.
Market creators, John Warren + Stephanie Pernice create the market + keep it interesting + filled with fabulous vendors.
Check out our Facebook + Twitter @ SoWa Vintage Mkt
Thanks!
Thank You for the beautiful picture of our booth at the SoWa Vintage Market! We are there every Sunday, it is a great way to spend a Sunday, so much to do and see! Yopu can check us out on Facebook or our blog www,paintedprettyfurniture.blogspot.com
Thank you for letting people know how diverse this special place has become. Many years ago, it was primarily an offering of spectcular fruits and veggies. My Cousin uesd to have a booth there, then opened a family store there; now he has grown and has stores and products all over the place. you may know the name as Pace’s…people call it patchies but trust me it is Pace like in walking back adn forth. LOL
I used to buy produce after work when I worked in town, and when I didnt, we would make special trips just for the fresh produce.
Another great offering we would partake of weekly were the fish markets which for the most part are gone, at least the large affordable ones that we used to frequent. Its a shame,
But as you showed us the marketplace, as we call it, is alive and well. Great article. In fact its inspiring as it lets artists know that they might be able to sell their goods there, not just food, but crafts.
The last major section of the SoWa Market lives in a sprawling former warehouse on the southern side of the plaza. It’s the indoor vintage market. The goods here are eclectic: midcentury furniture, old prints, vintage campaign buttons, plastic jewelry, clothing, even a bowl of bison teeth.
Have I convinced you to go? The outdoor SoWa Market is open from 10am – 4pm, every Sunday from May through October. The indoor vintage market is open year-round. And since this is prime farmer’s market season, I suggest you get there soon. 
SoWa Vintage Market is open YEAR ROUND, including winter featuring 30 rotating vendors in everything from vintage art + furnishings + decor, to couture (vintage and current), vintage fashion, jewelry + accessories to oddities and eclectics. You never know what you will find but you will find an interesting afternoon diversion + prized possessions that speak to the heart.
Market creators, John Warren + Stephanie Pernice create the market + keep it interesting + filled with fabulous vendors.
Check out our Facebook + Twitter @ SoWa Vintage Mkt
Thanks!
Thank You for the beautiful picture of our booth at the SoWa Vintage Market! We are there every Sunday, it is a great way to spend a Sunday, so much to do and see! Yopu can check us out on Facebook or our blog www,paintedprettyfurniture.blogspot.com
It was a pleasure meeting you Amy! Thanks so much for including me and my artwork!
Thank you for letting people know how diverse this special place has become. Many years ago, it was primarily an offering of spectcular fruits and veggies. My Cousin uesd to have a booth there, then opened a family store there; now he has grown and has stores and products all over the place. you may know the name as Pace’s…people call it patchies but trust me it is Pace like in walking back adn forth. LOL
I used to buy produce after work when I worked in town, and when I didnt, we would make special trips just for the fresh produce.
Another great offering we would partake of weekly were the fish markets which for the most part are gone, at least the large affordable ones that we used to frequent. Its a shame,
But as you showed us the marketplace, as we call it, is alive and well. Great article. In fact its inspiring as it lets artists know that they might be able to sell their goods there, not just food, but crafts.