Jessica Hunter
40 Under 40 Class of 2021 alum Amanda Hines gave Jessica Hunter a tour of her Westside Market on Powell – a beautiful store that highlights the hyper-local. From prepared foods to grocery staples, Hines keeps her product stock as locally produced and low-waste as possible.
Amanda Hines, the visionary behind Westside Market and Cafe and co-founder of No Dirt Farms, is redefining what it means to eat locally in Erie.
Walking into the Westside Market and Cafe feels like stepping into a bright, cozy space that immediately feels like home. While I was framing up a few shots of the cafe’s interior, trying to capture the distinct green of the hydroponic towers in the front windows, I struck up a conversation with a regular. She was scanning the market, on the hunt for fresh local eggs among her usual haul of scratch-made breads, local canned goods, and the occasional artisanal gift. It’s exactly this kind of dynamic, multi-purpose shopping experience that Hines envisioned.
The concept was born out of a desire for convenience that didn’t compromise on community support. “I really saw the need to help people who wanted to support their local farmers,” Hines explains. “It’s very time-consuming to drive out here to get eggs, drive over there to get your milk, and get your meat somewhere else. I thought, why not bring everybody to one location? You’re still fully supporting all of those individual local people, but without the runaround.”
The space itself is a testament to Hines and her husband Dave’s DIY work ethic. The building has lived many lives – formerly her husband’s appliance business, sitting right next door to her former hair salon. When they decided to pivot, they moved the appliance business next door, completely gutted the interior, and transformed the building themselves. Hines even taught herself 3D modeling to draft the blueprints before taking her vision to an architect.
That same hands-on, problem-solving dedication is evident in her approach to sourcing products for the market. As the co-founder of No Dirt Farms, she is one of Erie’s few year-round local lettuce growers, utilizing the cafe’s front-window hydroponic towers to showcase how to defy the region’s notoriously harsh winters. “When we had our zero-degree temperatures, we were still growing lettuce,” she says with pride. She acknowledges that it can be difficult for people to understand why the lettuce changes its look throughout the year, but her response is simple and effective: “I ask them, ‘Tell me what other local person you can buy lettuce from this time of year?'”
Sourcing locally from other vendors is a constant balancing act, especially since many farmers in the area are stretched thin. To combat this, Hines offers a reliable wholesale spot for newer farmers trying to get their feet on the ground.
Inside the cafe, fresh produce fuels a strictly scratch-made kitchen – everything is designed to offer a practical, healthy alternative to the national processed food system.
It is also a kitchen fiercely dedicated to zero waste. Leftover vegetable scraps from prep days – like broccoli stems and carrot shreds – are taken straight home to feed her very happy chickens. Meanwhile, produce is creatively repurposed. “If something doesn’t have a long shelf life, throw it in a salad. Make soup with it. Figure it out. Be creative,” she notes.
That boundless creativity birthed one of the cafe’s most popular offerings: the signature soup flight. Unable to choose just one of Hines’s inventive soups, diners can enjoy three distinct varieties served on custom hot plates, accompanied by a trio of house-made breads. Beyond the soups, the menu boasts vibrant Mediterranean salads topped with pickled onions, and hearty sandwiches like my husband’s favorite, The Cuban, all elevated by ingredients like herb-roasted tomatoes and house-made mustard.
More than just a place to grab lunch, the Westside Market has become a genuine community hub. It’s a place where locals bump into friends, pull up a chair to share some local ice cream, or set up their laptops to work for the afternoon. In an age leaning heavily into automation, Hines fiercely protects this personal connection.
“A lot of people want to turn to kiosks and get away from that personal touch, and I couldn’t disagree more,” she says firmly. “I want people talking. I don’t want robots or AI making your food. I want it all to remain personal.”
Since being named a 2021 Erie’s 40 Under 40 honoree, Hines has only continued to expand her vision. Looking ahead, she has her sights set on growing the market’s catering services and developing an online platform to ship her products to a wider audience. But her primary goal remains rooted right here.
“I just want it to be a place people think of as a hub where you can connect with people and get great food,” she says. “When people come here, they often tell me it feels like they’re out of town. I want it to stay the gem that we are.”
And with her continued dedication to local farmers and community building, Hines is ensuring that the Westside Market remains exactly that – a true gem right here in the Gem City.
Gem City Style is a monthly column featuring an intimate profile of someone making a creative impact in Erie. If you or someone you know would make a good fit for a future Gem City Style, email jessica@eriereader.com