Keeping Hillyard Fresh
Keeping Hillyard Fresh
BY SHEI MCLAUGHLIN
Farmers’ market season draws flocks of people to vendor-lined streets with the promise of fresh produce and an assortment of hand- and homemade offerings. While this season only lasts as long as the weather permits it to, these markets aren’t the only place to shop local and buy fresh.
Green’s Fresh Market embodies what it means to be an old-fashioned produce market. A large display of fruits and vegetables greets customers as they enter, making fresh produce the centerpiece of the market, both in design and in practice. Flanking the shop's walls are cases filled with offerings such as dairy products, packaged meats and even flowers. Setting this
market apart from others is the deli that can be found at the back of the store, offering meats, cheeses and more.
Owner Jack Green has been in the produce industry since 1976, the year he graduated high school. He opened his first produce store, Green’s Quality Produce, in 1980. That market later merged with his father-in-law's deli to become Piccolo’s Italian Market, which he sold in 2009.
Though Green sold Piccolo’s, wanting a break from being a business owner, his passion for produce never faded. He opened Green’s Fresh Market in 2017 as a way to have a fresh start in the produce industry and respond to a need in the Hillyard Neighborhood.
“I noticed that there weren't many fresh options out here in Hillyard — it was kind of a food desert in a sense,” Green says. “We saw a need for people to purchase their own fresh vegetables, meats and cheeses and are always working to respond to that need.”
Shopping local also means sourcing local, which is a big part of Green’s Fresh Market’s mission. When offerings are in season and can be sourced locally, the market works with farmers across Washington State to supply domestic goods. They also buy wholesale from local vendors to ensure their market promotes variety while maintaining freshness.
“We focus on fresh,” Green says. “We look for variety and opportunity buys to ensure we have a wide selection of offerings for our customers while keeping them affordable.”
Green works to supply goods requested by his customers. While he tries to keep the offerings within the market consistent, Green cares about what his customers are looking to shop for and prioritizes adding those products to the market.
“We are always expanding into things that people request,” Green says. “When people have a product they are interested in or wish we carry, we look into adding it to the market.”
Inspired by what his father-in-law brought to his last market, the deli features many classic Italian meats and cheeses as well as homemade sandwiches, salads and soups. Green says that they never buy these offerings pre-made, instead making them from scratch with family recipes.
The meats and cheeses are sourced both locally and from Italy. Green is proud to source authentic Italian meats and incorporate them into their recipes, like their Italian dry salami, genoa salami, capacolla, prosciutto and pepperoni. Paired with a French baguette, butter, lettuce, onion, tomato, provolone and a slather of Italian dressing, these meats are the star of their Italian-style sandwiches.
“Our produce is the centerpiece of our shop, but it is our deli that makes it really feel like an old fashioned market,” Green says.
According to Green, Hillyard has developed into more of a destination spot over the past few years. While the area is mostly restaurants, Green’s Fresh Market remains the one-stop shop for fresh produce, meats and cheeses.
“We are locally owned, family operated and we work hard to bring fresh quality products to an up and coming part of Spokane,” Green says.