Pallets for Eastern Market
Eastern Market is a 43-acre district with more than 150 businesses, and its wholesale market runs at night on weekdays from April to November.
The district
- Size
- 43 acres
- Businesses
- More than 150
- Wholesale hours
- Night, on weekdays, April to November
- Trades
- Wholesale produce, meat and specialty food, flowers and garden
- ZIP
- 48207
Most of the district's pallets turn over before dawn. Produce arrives from farms and terminals overnight, is broken down for restaurants and grocers, and leaves by mid-morning. By the time the neighborhood wakes, the empties are in piles along the loading bays.
The three trades and their pallets
- Produce. Wet by nature. Crates drip, ice melts, and the pallet underneath stays damp. A buyer should expect to see moisture and should say so.
- Meat and specialty food. Needs clean, dry, odor-free wood. A pallet with a stain or a smell does not go back into this trade.
- Flowers and garden. Light loads on lighter stock; soil and water leave their marks.
What a sound Eastern Market stack looks like
Grade A 48 x 40 is the trade's preferred pallet. A stack that has been kept off the ground and under cover can go back into food service. A stack that has sat out in the rain should be dried first: wood with a moisture content below 20% will not support mold, mildew, decay or fungus, and the mold guide explains how to get there.
Working with a night market
A daytime pickup suits most of the district, because the loading bays are free by then. Say which bay or which street, and whether the stack is inside or out. A weekly arrangement during the season, April to November, is realistic; winter is quieter. See dock programs.
Questions from the market
Our pallets are wet every morning. Can they be sold?
Say so and give a count. Buyers who dry and repair wood take them; those who need dry stock do not.
Do flower and garden vendors have pallets too?
Yes, in small counts. Soil and water mark them, so describe the condition.
Is the market open all year?
The wholesale market runs at night on weekdays from April to November, while many businesses in the district keep other hours.
Why Grade A is the rule here
A produce or meat buyer is picky about what touches the goods. That makes a clean, dry, odor-free pallet worth more than the same pallet with a stain or a smell, and a stack kept off the ground is worth more than one left in a puddle.
Seasons in the district
Spring and summer bring the busiest nights, and by late autumn the wholesale market winds down. Pallet volumes follow, so a request in October should be made soon, while a request in January may wait for spring.