Visitors convened at Bow Market to spend the 4th of July together.

By Shira Laucharoen

Bow Market held a cookout on July 4 in its courtyard, where guests were welcome to bring their own food items to prepare on charcoal grills. The newly opened Union Square center, which houses food vendors, retailers, and artists, served as a public, open space for people to enjoy the holiday.

Visitors brought hot dogs, hamburgers, and vegetables from home to heat on site. During the evening, the market held a dance party with music from record shop Vinyl Index. Co-owner of Bow Market Matthew Boyes-Watson said that he intended the event to bring together the diverse population of Somerville in an environment where they could enjoy each other’s company without having to buy anything. The set list was meant to reflect the character of the record store, said co-owner of Vinyl Index George Andrinopoulos, who was influenced by house music, hip-hop, and reggae.

In designing Bow Market, which opened in May 2018, Boyes-Watson said that he wanted to create a cultural destination that would support small businesses.

“The spirit of the market was two things,” said Boyes-Watson. “One was the creation of a vibrant public space, and the second was affordable storefronts. We wanted to create storefront opportunities for graduates of the popup and market scene who couldn’t afford a standard storefront unit, typically of 1500-2000 square feet. Lowering the cost of getting into a store allows more people the opportunity to finance themselves.”

Bow Market co-owner Zachary Baum said that he hopes the market will enhance the creative life of Union Square.

“With such small spaces, we have seen vendors focusing in on very unique concepts,” said Baum. “They’re able to start a retail shop or small restaurant that is more narrowly focused. For instance, Jaju Pierogi is the only pierogi shop in Somerville, and it is introducing people to Polish food. Our large goals for outdoor space is to revive opportunities for artists to do their work and have a gallery free for them to display their work.”