Lan Su Chinese Garden is set to unveil a new initiative aimed at enhancing community engagement and supporting local businesses. Beginning June 22 and running through August 31, the garden will host the Blossom & Bounty: AANHPI Summer Markets every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Located at the Lan Su Annex at Northwest Third Avenue and Northwest Flanders Street in Old Town, the markets will showcase a variety of local Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander businesses.
This vibrant series comes as part of a broader effort to envision the garden’s future, which includes a transformative multimillion-dollar renovation aimed at turning the current parking lot into a cultural center. The upcoming development will feature an art gallery, performance venue, café, and a permanent greenhouse, all designed to rejuvenate Old Town.
Elizabeth Nye, the executive director of Lan Su Chinese Garden, shared that the markets are a direct response to the garden’s future aspirations. “While that is in progress, we have really internally thought about, ‘Well, how can we contribute to rebuilding Old Town?” she explained. “As that much bigger project is going to take time … what can we do today?”
The summer markets will feature an array of offerings, including handmade goods, fresh plants native to Asia, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands, as well as essential spices and ingredients commonly used in Asian cooking. Additionally, visitors will find information about various local resources and nonprofits.
Opening day will kick off with a DIY marbled fan activity, allowing participants to showcase their creativity while receiving a 10% discount at the Lan Su Garden Shop with their decorated fan.
Nye emphasized the importance of community involvement in this initiative, stating, “We want to focus on how do we engage our broader community and expose our broader community to culture, businesses, food entrepreneurs and even our plants. So that was really sort of the inspiration behind it.”
The market aims to provide a fresh experience each week, with a rotating selection of 15 to 16 vendors. The flexible scheduling allows various businesses the opportunity to showcase their goods, ensuring that attendees can enjoy diverse offerings each Sunday.
The launch of the summer markets has been made possible, in part, by a $12,000 grant from Multnomah County’s new Community Vitality and Economy Opportunity Grants program, which allocated a total of $250,000 to nine local organizations this year. This funding aims to support neighborhood events and smaller businesses to revitalize Portland’s cultural hubs, including Old Town.
Reflecting on the garden’s mission, Nye said, “In this stage of (the garden’s) expansion, it really is about being able to communicate a future vision of how vibrant and amazing Old Town is and could be. We, at Lan Su, believe in and love Old Town. We want to give people an opportunity to come, visit and to love Old Town the way we do.”
For those interested in more information or looking to apply as a vendor, additional details can be found at lansugarden.org/BlossomBounty.
This initiative marks a significant step toward fostering connections within the community while simultaneously paving the way for an exciting future at Lan Su Chinese Garden.
image source from：https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2025/06/aanhpi-summer-markets-launch-june-22-at-lan-su-chinese-garden.html
