A new weekly market is taking shape inside the sprawling former industrial building that houses the The Academy on Academy Street in Poughkeepsie. Called Sixside Market, the project aims to turn the space into a hub for farmers, food vendors, and local makers while building a Saturday gathering place for the city.
The market is organized by Jordan Schinella and Damel Harrison, who took over operations at the Academy earlier this year after working in its kitchen and events programs. Their idea grew out of both professional experience in Hudson Valley food culture and a sense that Poughkeepsie lacked a thriving community marketplace like those found in nearby cities.
“We just wanted to figure out the best way to provide value for Poughkeepsie,” Harrison says. “All the other markets—in Beacon, Kingston, Westchester—they’re always thriving. They’re good hubs for the community. I just felt like with this space, that was something that was missing.”
Harrison came to the city after years working in hospitality, including stints as a chef at Hotel Kinsley and Inness, both projects developed by hotelier Taavo Somer. Those kitchens emphasized farm-to-table sourcing and relationships with local growers—connections Harrison hopes to extend through the market.
The path to the Academy itself was somewhat accidental. After taking paternity leave, Harrison began running a burger pop-up from a garage across the street in a former coffee-roasting building. Investors connected to the Academy stopped by, liked the food, and invited him to help oversee the building’s culinary program.
At the time, the Academy—originally launched as a food hall in 2022—was rethinking its operations. Harrison and Schinella stepped in to keep the kitchen running, juggling event catering upstairs with a rotating lineup of food concepts downstairs. “We were doing 250-person weddings, then coming downstairs and selling burgers at two in the morning,” Harrison says. “At the same time we had a ramen shop, a sandwich shop, a bakery, a pastry program—basically anything we could do to keep the energy going.”
Earlier this year the pair were offered the opportunity to take over operations of the building. Sixside Market is the first major initiative under that new structure.
The name refers to the Academy’s location in Poughkeepsie’s Sixth Ward, while also functioning as a brand identity for merchandise and future programming. The market’s first event earlier on March 7 featured 20 vendors and roughly 150 visitors rotating through the space over the course of the day.
For Schinella, the goal is to build a balanced vendor ecosystem that supports local businesses while offering variety for shoppers. “We’re trying to make it fair for the vendors,” she says. “We don’t want five candle makers competing with each other. We look at the categories as applications come in and try to create a mix.”
Priority is given to farms and vendors from the city of Poughkeepsie when possible. Vendor fees are also intentionally lower than those at many regional markets—$35 per market for early sign-ups—to help smaller producers participate.
Currently the market operates twice a month (the next market is March 21), but organizers hope to shift to a weekly schedule beginning May 9, running Saturdays from 10am to 3pm. As it grows, Sixside plans to expand beyond the first floor of the 21,000-square-foot building to include the second level and outdoor areas. Schinella estimates the space could eventually accommodate 70 to 80 vendors.
The vision also includes a restaurant component inside the building that would cook with ingredients sourced directly from market vendors. “You could have carrots or potatoes being sold at the market and then walk across the room and see them turned into a dish,” Harrison says. “It’s about connecting the farmers directly to what’s happening in the kitchen.”
Beyond commerce, both organizers emphasize the market’s social function. “I just want it to be something the community looks forward to,” Harrison says. “A place where people come out with their families, try new food, and spend time together.”
Schinella agrees. For her, success would mean something simpler than growth metrics. “If we make it to year two,” she says, “that means we’ve built something lasting for the vendors and the community.”
If the organizers have their way, Saturdays at the Academy may soon become a new ritual in Poughkeepsie.
Sixside Market is currently accepting vendor applications. Interested parties should contact thesixsidemarket@gmail.com.
My name is Lisa Holt-lawrence. I think this is a fantastic idea for the fresh market to be brought to the community. It helps with staying healthy, especially in this world. We are living with so many different diseases and if we learn how to eat right maybe we can have a healthier body. Much success to the Academy
I Think this is a very inventive way of sourcing communities fresh food and get together at the academy I hope their hard and determination pays off for them I’ll be sure of visit