People of Troy

Interview with Steve Riddler, Manager of the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market.

People of Downtown Troy is a storyteling series highlitghting the business owners, artists, employees, entreprenuers, creatives, and neighbors who shape the character of our district ever single day.

This is our first installment. Continue reading for the full extended interview.

What was a moment in your work that made you think, "this is why I'm doing this"?

"I manage the farmers’ market, and there are many moments that show why you’re doing it. The first one is when you see everybody come downtown, shop with their families, and buy their fresh produce. Another time is when you start off with a completely blank slate at seven o’clock in the morning— the streets are empty. Within an hour, you’ve got 100 vendors set up, and you look around and think, this is going to be a cool day. Then at the end of the day, you break it all down, and by three o’clock, it’s as if we weren’t there. So being able to deliver an event that’s so important to the community and so important to the region— that’s what makes it worthwhile."

If you had to explain Troy to someone who’s never been here, what would you say?

"Troy is a community located on the Hudson River, so there’s a lot of history here related to how America developed. You can see that all around you in the architecture, the downtown, and the kinds of growth that have happened in the past. What’s going on now is very much in line with a city that’s reinventing itself— but it’s reinventing itself within the fabric of history. You see a lot of reuse of buildings and a lot of opportunity to try new things. There are exciting things happening, and people should come check it out. At its core, there’s a great downtown that’s still intact. The farmers’ market is a key part of that, but when you look around, you also have the art center, the music hall, the historical society— enough that anyone should be interested in coming to explore. There are restaurants and stores that, at certain times of the year, are really bustling— and other times could use a little help— but it’s an exciting time to see it revitalized."

What part of Troy do you feel mirrors a part of you?

"We live down near Washington Park. It’s a very historic area. When I walk from Washington Park into downtown— especially along Second Street— it connects to how I grew up and where I went to college in England. There’s always something new to see as you walk down that street. Eventually, you end up downtown where all the activity is. It’s a reflection of where I’ve lived for the past 30 years. I’ve seen the change, and we’ve changed with it. When I first got here, there wasn’t a lot of activity downtown. Now, you come down on a Friday night and it’s bustling. People are going in and out of restaurants. There’s music. There’s energy. That’s definitely a big reflection of what I feel, what I see, and how I live."