Music executive charts new career at Chattanooga Market

Sundays at Chattanooga Market have become a tradition for many Chattanoogans looking for local produce and handmade goods. Since opening in 2002, the market has been a stage for such movements as Slow Food and the Eat Fresh, Eat Local campaigns.

When Chris Thomas bought the market from its founder, Nick Jessen, in 2008, he did it with an eye on working to increase the interest in buying local.

Q: What did you do before the market?

A: I spent a successful decade with startups in the technology industry, consulting for Fortune 500 firms around the world, and ended up in the music and entertainment industry working for Palo Duro Records & Palo Duro Presents, which are still actively in business.

Q: What got you interested in the market?

A: Primarily, the EPB Stage. I was intrigued by the possibility of exposing great musical talent from around the world to Chattanooga in a family-friendly setting. Looking back, that seems almost trivial, but it was the initial pull.

Q: Has it been the success you had planned on?

A: I had no clue as to how much potential was hidden within the market. I immediately recognized that the market was a very good thing for Chattanooga, and something that needed to survive, but naively felt that my team would manage the market as a side project while we pursued other challenges. The Chattanooga Market is currently the No. 1 producer-only market in a multistate region and is on pace to become one of the nation's largest most successful events of its type. That's pretty cool. And we're just getting started.

Q: What changes did you make to the market when you purchased it?

A: Structurally, we immediately moved to convert the Chattanooga Market into a 501(3)(c) nonprofit entity. By its very nature, a one-day-per-week community market will never become a huge financial success and is very dependent upon the goodwill of others. We want to maintain a free-parking, free-admission atmosphere for families and a low-overhead model for our farmers and artists, so this made a lot of sense.

I believe our largest impact so far is due to our experience in the entertainment industry. People have many choices as to how they spend their time, and we have redeveloped the market into more than 35 unique mini-festivals to provide a free, entertaining and ever-changing atmosphere.

We've also significantly increased our farm and vendor base, which offers terrific diversity to our patrons. That's a tremendous boost for Chattanooga and truly the motivation behind the Chattanooga Market.

Q: Have you seen a growing response from Chattanoogans for organic and home-grown meats and produce?

A: Yes, this year has absolutely exploded. Our week-to-week sales and attendance levels are up 109 percent on average over 2007 and up about 45 percent over last year.

Q: How does the market help the vendors?

A: Because of the economic downturn, we have become a significant partner for a lot of artists and craftsmen who have converted hobbies into entrepreneurial endeavors as they attempt to redefine and regain control over their lives. We recognize this, admire their determination and have been very reluctant to turn any qualified vendor away due to space constraints.

Q: What plans do you have? Is there room for more vendors?

A: We are always planning for the future. This season, we are testing several new festivals/concepts in anticipation of expanding several key weekends into multiday events next year. The Beast Feast BBQ weekend is a great example of a huge success that clearly needs to be expanded in 2010. We also anticipate returning Oktoberfest into a multiday event, along with an expanded Holiday Market (in December).