If you’ve been down and around the Broadway Market area in say, the past oh TWO YEARS you’ll notice that a lot of work has been in the, uh, works to rebuild/revamp both lengths of the market itself (the southern stretch of which was completed last September) as well as the immediate surroundings insofaras the dilapidated storefronts, the old Crabby Dicks building (HAHAHAHAHAH get it? CRABBY DICKS! GENITALS!) and a few other places – this is an update that is quite literally 25 years overdue.
Last year’s improvements allowed the vendors within the southern market building to prepare hot food, in addition to selling seafood and some limited grocery items (among a few other things), which apparently up until that point simply wasn’t possible. The market vendors were getting killed — business wise of course — by numerous factors: gentrified tastes, a lack of the market’s footprint/visibility to pedestrians (in which I mean you almost never see foot traffic coming in or out of the market, prompting you to wonder what’s inside and therefore venturing inward), crumbling buildings surrounding them, a big fat place called Whole Foods right up the block providing groceries AND prepared food, the list goes on.
Fortunately the time has finally come when construction has really been cranked up, reconstruction facades are assembled and the real Market Renaissance can begin. It can’t finish soon enough. The Broadway Market portion of Fells could truly be its centerpiece, at this point it’s really more of a place for speedbike gangs to hang out on Saturdays and get into fights, homeless people to get punched in the face, and puddles of filthwater to accumulate with virtually no upshot. It’s the part of Fells Point that people actively avoid, save for the the three or four bars and retail stores alongside the market that fare well. A rebooted market with fresh produce, vibrant booths and places to eat in addition to the few options currently available will draw patrons in and their money where it belongs; with locals, not Whole Foods. Not that I blame anyone in the area for shopping at Whole Foods, the options other than The Most Overpriced Safeway Ever in Canton are limited to bodegas in Upper Fells, and obviously your average Harbor East enthusiast isn’t going to step foot there, oh hellz no.
With the promise (I hate that word when it comes to anything in this city) of revamped storefronts, possibly some apartments and new eateries alongside the north market building and a gutjob on the building itself, the Broadway Market can – and should – be as much a centerpiece to Fells Point as Cross Street Market seems to be for Federal Hill. It just makes total sense. Get it done, as soon as you can construction guys!
Yes, could we not have anything else called Dicks or Cocks or whatever? The genital joke is kind of played out.
I grew up on Ann Street and back in those days of yore, we shopped at the Broadway Market regularly. It was the source for fresh chicken, dairy products including milk, butter, and cottage cheese, fish, produce, and the occasional lunch of fried chicken from Bair Brothers. Basically only cereal, canned goods, and cleaning supplies were purchased at the supermarket (which for us was the Sav-Mor on Eastern Ave just above Ann). It’s sad that there’s not a whole lot left in those buildings.
Part of the problem with that market is that you can’t really see what’s inside and there’s not much signage, so it’s hard to tell if it’s even open, much less if there’s something you want in there. I’m hoping big windows and clearer signs are part of the renovation plan. And for goodness’ sake, can we light that sidewalk at night??