Chicago's first and only year-round, European-inspired indoor market celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, Dec. 3, providing consumers with convenient, permanent and personal access to local artisans, farmers and purveyors selling an expansive assortment of food, wine, small-batch goods and flowers. The anchor tenant for MetraMarket in Chicago's West Loop, Chicago French Market is a 15,000-square-foot European-style indoor market offering an array of local, seasonal and certified organic produce, meats, fish and seafood, breads, pastries, small-batch cheese and wine, chocolates and sweets, artisan-made goods, flowers, plus handmade prepared meals and snacks for busy customers. Unlike seasonal farmers' markets, Chicago French Market and its vendors will stay open year-round, six days per week -- the first and only market of its kind in Chicago. Chicago may be the only global city without a permanent marketplace, and the Chicago French Market aims to fill this void.

MetraMarket is an accessible one-stop destination that provides not only cultural and culinary experiences, but also life's essentials and convenience products. The 100,000-square-foot street level development is connected to Ogilvie Transportation Center's bustling suburban commuter concourse and spans two city blocks bound by Lake, Canal, Washington and Clinton streets. MetraMarket's other tenants include a 14,000-square-foot CVS/Pharmacy now open at 101 North Clinton Street and a 2,045-square-foot Espression by Lavazza Italian Café scheduled to open in late December. MetraMarket is a collaboration between developer U.S. Equities Realty, the Bensidoun family, Metra and the City of Chicago. For more information, visit www.metramarket.com.

The Bensidoun family, Chicago French Market operators, managers and co-developers, is the largest operator of open-air markets in Paris. The family members are fourth-generation market operators. Thousands of vendors sell goods at the more than 80 markets throughout the Paris metropolitan area, including Marche Raspail, one of the largest certified organic markets in Europe. In 1996, the Bensidouns decided to expand outside of Europe to develop French Markets in the United States, and chose Chicago for their U.S. base of operations. The Bensidouns now operate 16 seasonal markets in the United States, 13 of which are located in Chicago and area suburbs. All of the Bensidoun markets bring a sense of local community found in the markets of Europe, and provide customers with a place to gather, socialize, purchase quality goods at reasonable prices and meet directly with knowledgeable artisans, farmers and purveyors. For more information, visit www.chicagofrenchmarket.com.