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Portland Saturday Market was the brainchild of two women, Sheri Teasdale and Andrea Scharf. Both were artists living in the area who had sold at the Saturday Market in Eugene; their idea was to create a similar style of market in downtown Portland. Beginning in December 1973, the two visited everyone they could think of in the city to sell their idea: an open-air market of all handmade food and craft items. Artists would have an economic outlet for their work, customers would gain better access to locally-produced items, and the city would have a new attraction to draw customers into the downtown area.
Since opening in 1974, the Portland Saturday Market has become the largest continually operating outdoor arts and crafts market in the nation. It's located under the Burnside bridge in Portland’s historic Old Town the Market, and is one of the most popular shopping destinations for local handcrafted goods.