Our Purpose

The Whiteaker Community Market was established in 2016 by Whiteaker residents to address a lack fresh affordable local farm food in the neighborhood, a lack of inclusive and diverse gathering space for neighbors and community members to come together, and a lack of affordable space for neighborhood artists and musicians to support and share the unique and creative talents of the historic Whiteaker neighborhood in Eugene, Oregon.

Our mission

The Whiteaker Community Market cultivates a gathering place that is inclusive, diverse, and vibrant. We support emerging local makers and growers through creating economic opportunity that is centered around increasing quality of life in the Whiteaker neighborhood.

We honor the Whiteaker’s historic and culturally art-driven identity by bringing neighborhood residents together every Sunday in the summer to strengthen the neighborhood’s sense of community and resiliency.

We prioritize Black, Indigenous, People of Color & LGBTQIA+ vendors, market-goers, and entertainment by using the market as a platform to elevate historically marginalized communities who often do not feel welcome or comfortable in public spaces.

Our vision

We work towards building a thriving local neighborhood economy and strong sense of community within the Whiteaker that is resilient in the face of social injustices. We envision a neighborhood where all people can participate and prosper in their local economy and arts community.

Our Commitment to Equity

The Whiteaker Community Market holds our vendors and market-goers at the center of all our actions and decisions. We recognize that systemic injustices exist, such as racism, classism, ableism, and sexism, and that these create and perpetuate barriers to participate in a public market space and neighborhood economy. Understanding this, we commit to serve all vendors and market-goers of marginalized communities in ways that value who they are and their lived experiences. We will listen to and include these communities in our market. Our market practices will be vendor-driven, honor a diversity of needs, and value everyone. We will respond where bias and inequities appear because the WCM aims to build a neighborhood economy where everyone can thrive – celebrating our differences and working together to overcome injustices that might divide us.