The Tuesday Market is one of Boquete’s most iconic places. If you come to Boquete for just one day, make sure to do it on a Tuesday, because this market is a must. Not only is it a place to shop for Panamanian souvenirs, organic veggies, exquisite international food, or beautiful hand-made jewelry; but it is also a community of people from all over the world and from different walks of life who come together once a week to represent and celebrate what our beautiful country’s motto: “bridge of the world, heart of the universe” truly means.
We spoke with Dee Horn, president of the Tuesday Market and this is what she told us:
Hi Dee! Could you tell us a little bit about the story of the Tuesday market, and how long it has been going on for?
It has been going on since 2005. It started out with Panamonte, they’d have a big open bar with a fireplace where people would come and talk about Boquete and Panama… that was in 2005, which was almost 20 years ago. Then it moved to the Fundadores Hotel, and then it came here. This was a restaurant called Snoopy’s.
How many sellers and visitors does the Tuesday Market have every week?
Approximately 60 sellers, it varies with the seasons. We have a lot more at Christmas, and then during the winter season, it slows down. Visitors, it would be about 500 people every week. During the pandemic, we used to have to count them, and we were getting 300 and 400, and now that the pandemic is over, everybody has come back, so about 500 people.
What is the most sought-after product?
Food. Vegetables are number one. That’s why there are so many vegetable vendors. Some people have organic and different farm people have been selling here for many years, so people know their quality.
What impact does this market have on Boquete’s tourism?
You can use me as an example. In 2010 I came here to see if I wanted to move here, and I had read a lot (it was very hard to find information). Now we have multiple sites that people can talk on and say: “hey, I’m moving here, what about this, what about that…” But I read this was the place to go, this Tuesday Market to meet other ex-pats; so it’s a meeting place for people who want to know about moving to Boquete. It’s very important.. And the tourists like to shop for things made in Panama to take home. Most of these are the original vendors that were here. I started as the president; I gathered all the people back up again. This was during the pandemic, it was very difficult, but we stood by it, and we made our market work.
Come by and visit our Tuesday market, we have such a variety of artisans and food, wonderful food! We have empanadas, we have tamales, we have chocolates, desserts, a French pastry artist, we have so many cool things, plus all the incredible artists that come and bring the things they make, including myself, with my jewelry. All the things here are handmade. So please come and visit us, we’d love to see you!
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