A Peek Inside Chelsea Market in The Meatpacking District

Chelsea Market, New York CityPhoto by Sara Melissa Frost

Located in the Meatpacking District, Chelsea Market is one of New York City's most iconic marketplaces. It is a vibrant place where history meets modern-day retail and fresh produce at its best.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Chelsea Market was attracting about 6 million guests every year, both local food enthusiasts and tourists from all over the world. Today, people are finding their way back to the marketplace, and it is picking up its lively vibe once again.

Historic

Chelsea Market is much more than food. In here, you'll get a real piece of New York City's history. Walking through the market makes you feel like you're walking through the past of the Meatpacking District. The market is located within the Gansevoort Market Historic District, recognized by New York State and National Register of Historic Places. The building was built in the 1890s and was originally the site of the National Biscuit Company, perhaps better known as Nabisco. This is the company that invented pantry staples such as the Oreo cookie and Ritz crackers.

History on the walls inside the Chelsea Market, New York City.Photo by Sara Melissa Frost

It didn't start with the cookies, though. Beginning with the Algonquin Indians, who traded their game and crops on the banks of the Hudson River at this spot, the area has always been an important district of food in the Northeast.

The High Line that today is a must-see tourist attraction in New York City was back then an important tool for the butchers in the area. The trains served the butchers who lined the streets beneath the tracks and cooled their provisions with blocks of Hudson River ice. In 1900, 250 slaughterhouses and packing plants filled the district. By the 1930s, those houses produced the nation’s third-largest volume of dressed meats. The city was eager to retain the immediate supply of fresh meat and jobs and subsidized the industry throughout the early 20th century.

The long history and the beautiful brick architecture of the building give the market a special historic character. 

Local and unique

The tenants inside the Chelsea Market all have a unique style. These are local shops with a global, sustainable viewpoint. This marketplace brings diverse tenants, businesses, and vendors together that is all about supporting each other.

You'll get everything from Chelsea Market Baskets, a shop specializing in artisian food and gift baskets, to Posman Books, a bookstore dedicated to making every book you read, every card you send, and gift you give a phenomenal experience. The stuff they sell here is far from average.

Local shops inside the Chelsea Market, New York City.Photo by Sara Melissa Frost

The market’s collection of characteristic and diverse merchants makes this more than your mediocre food hall. Instead, you get a full food experience with history included in it. Here, you can get fish from the finest fishmongers, you can buy the best cuts of meat from one of the top-notch butchers in the area. You can fill up your baskets with various artisan cheese and olives for your charcuterie board or wine night. You can find an abundance of fresh produce, delicious Italian pasta, baked goods, while walking through the beautifully decorated historic marketplace. Here, everything is gorgeously put together, from the shops to the historic walls and the stunning decor throughout the building.

The inside of Chelsea Market is beautifully decorated from floor to ceiling.Photo by Sara Melissa Frost

Inside the marketplace, you'll also find Chelsea Local.Photo by Sara Melissa Frost

The Chelsea Market complex fills an entire city block bounded by Ninth and Tenth Avenues and 15th and 16th Streets, with a connecting bridge over to 85 Tenth Avenue building. This used to be part of the Nabisco complex but today, it is separately owned. If you're a tourist visiting Chelsea Market, you can also easily get to the High Line from the back of the building, continuing your historic tour in the city.

You'll find Chelsea Market and its main entrance at 75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011.

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