Czech Green Market Stalls Create Greater Connection Between Vendors and Shoppers

Farmer's markets have long been popular in Europe, but local and organic produce is growing in demand. A new concept for organic <a href="http://www.zelenetrhy.cz/" target="_blank">Green Markets (Zelenetrhy) </a> began last year in the Czech Republic and the organizers asked <a href="http://editarchitects.com/" target="_blank">Edit! Architecture</a> to design and build a new kind of market stall. The stall needed to be easy to set up and move, resistant to vandalism, and create an immediate connection between the vendors and shoppers. Edit!'s market stall and specially-designed produce crates make it easy for vendors to set up, advertise their wares on a giant chalkboard and interact with their customers.

When designing the new market stalls for the <a href="http://www.zelenetrhy.cz/" target="_blank">Green Market</a>, Edit!'s first goal was to help the vendors better share their product with whole mar­ket and let the vendor's personality shine through.

A more personal relationship between the vendor and the shopper in theory would help sell more goods.

The design evolved to be a trapezoidal box with a large swinging door that when open creates a wide V-shaped space.

Shelves and storage compartments work with specially-designed wooden crates to store goods in the box.

The door also doubles as a customizable chalkboard on which the vendor can write out their products, specials and sales for the day. Unique handwriting and clever drawings can help draw in more customers.

The Green Market Stall can easily be closed up at the end of the day and locked to prevent theft.

The exterior provides little opportunity for vandalism, but could be easily painted over if graffitied.

Green Market Stalls can be arranged in a variety of ways - either in circles or rows to move shoppers through, around or between.

The circular arrangement allows vendors to have a protected space in the middle to store extra goods until they need them.

<a href="http://editarchitects.com/index.php/project-archive-2011/trh" target="_blank">Edit! Architecture</a> tested out their stalls this last summer after a <a href="http://editarchitects.com/index.php/projects-archive/trh/" target="_blank">prototyping phase</a> last year.