As we know from last week’s news, a fire tore through Cleveland’s West Side Market in the early morning hours of last Wednesday.   

And while the city will pay for the clean up out of capital funds previously identified for WSM upgrades, there is still a lot of work that will need to be done and business lost for the vendors.

However, just like in the past, Cleveland has proven itself a resilient city – ready to rally when needed.

For instance, over the weekend, Happy Dog in the Gordon Square neighborhood donated $1 from every hot dog sold to the Market’s recovery. They raised over $1,200 for the Market vendors and employees.

If the snow or Superbowl kept you from grabbing one of their delicious hot dogs (or vegan dogs), here are a few more ways you can support the West Side Market.

#1 Market Recovery Lager at Market Garden Brewery

Right before the fire struck, Market Garden Brewery had just finished brewing up a new lager. It still needed a name so they decided to use the brew’s launch over the weekend to raise money for WSM’s vendors and repairs.

For every Market Recovery Lager ordered, the brewery will donate $1 to the West Side Market. If you didn’t have a chance to stop by Friday or this weekend to help raise money (and try out the new beer), you have until tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 5).

#2 Visit Market vendors at their retail locations

Although the Market House remains closed (some produce vendors opened over the weekend), a few of the vendors also have retail locations. According to WSM’s Facebook page, the following vendors have brick-and-mortar shops outside the Market you can frequent in the meantime:

• Cake Royale (Call 216-351-3553 to place your order for pickup at their shop)
• Campbell’s Sweets Factory (2084 W. 25th Street, Cleveland)
• City Roast (Visit Civilization at 2366 West 11th, Tremont)
• Frickaccio’s Pizza Market (22560 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park)
• Maha’s Cafe (3323 West 25th Street, Cleveland)
• Olive and Grape (8141 Tyler Blvd., A-6, Mentor and 17134 Lorain Ave., West Park/Kamm’s Corners)
• Orale! Kitchen Restaurant (1834 West 25th Street, Cleveland)
• Pinzone’s Market Fresh Meats (6046 Broadview Rd, Parma)
• Noodlecat (234 euclid avenue off Public Square, Cleveland)

Many of the Market’s other vendors – like Judy’s Oasis – take online orders or have stands at area farmers’ markets. If I’ve missed anyone above, leave a comment below.

#3 West Side Market Cash Mob

Tentatively scheduled for Saturday, March 2, Cash Mobs Cleveland wants you and your friends to converge on the Market after it opens to help vendors get back on their feet. The rules are simple: show up on the scheduled date with $20 to spend, talk to 3 people you didn’t know before, and have fun.

Because it’s unclear when the Market is going to reopen, the date is likely to change. With 2000+ already rsvped on the Facebook event page, Cash Mobs is currently working with Ohio City Incorporated to find a day that would work best. Keep an eye on that event page to stay up-to-date.

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I’m sure that over the coming days, weeks and months, there will be more efforts to help the Market, with at least Michael Symon already planning something.

Of course, though, you can find your own way to help West Side Market once they reopen. I’m a huge fan of long-term support plans with Scott and I pledging to increase the frequency of our visits each month and trying out a few vendors we’ve always meant to get to.

How do you plan on helping the West Side Market during this time? Leave a comment!