Nicole McLean and her daughter headed from West Baltimore to the new Lexington Market on Monday, excited to be among the first customers to see the outcome of a multimillion dollar revitalization.
She said they were impressed with the new South Market, which opened to the public Monday more than two years after the start of a project to rebuild the iconic attraction, one of the country’s oldest public markets. An anchor of downtown’s west side, it now sits on a former parking lot between Eutaw and Paca streets and next to the market’s old location.
That previous home to most vendors, the aging East Building, closed permanently Sept. 3.
But even better than the upgrades, which McLean called “beautiful,” was the sight of Bun An, owner of Brookdale Farms Poultry, a merchant from the old market who was taking in poultry deliveries Monday in preparation for a Tuesday opening. McLean said she and her mother before her, and now her daughter, Nayarra McLean, have always bought fresh chicken and turkey wings from Brookdale.
“Ever since I was a kid. My mother used to always go there, so I started going there. I just love their fresh food,” said McLean, adding that she wasn’t sure she’d find An in the new market. “I needed to see her face.”
The market, a $45 million project by city-selected developer Seawall, opened its doors at 8 a.m. to a line of people waiting outside. Monday’s “soft opening” begins an initial period with limited hours and numbers of merchants.
The first day there were just three permanent merchants and six kiosk carts up and running. By next Monday, the developer expects to have 10 permanent vendors open, with more expected in coming weeks. The market has 48 permanent spaces, with 45 leased.
Merchants, a blend of new and prior tenants, will offer marketplace staples such as fresh produce, poultry, meat and seafood, and prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner.
By midday Monday, a steady stream of customers and people curious about the new development filled the South Market’s long corridors, flanked by stalls. The design pays tribute to the market’s old Shed Building, an early 20th century predecessor to the East Market that was destroyed by fire in 1949.
Customers lined up to buy cheesesteaks and sandwiches at Ronny’s Combo and sausages and hot dogs at Sausage Master, both returning vendors.
Others wandered the light-filled building, captured photos on cellphones or perched on stools near tables scattered throughout. Many reminisced about a market that’s been part of their lives for decades.
Virginia Richburg said she hadn’t made the trip from her Randallstown home to Lexington Market for years. But when she heard the new version was reopening she called her uncle, Edward Green, a retired A&P supermarket stocker who used to take her to the market for corned beef and roast beef sandwiches.
“Lexington Market used to be the place to come,” Richburg said.
Green, a Belair Edison resident, recalled coming to the old market even before the 70-year-old East Market opened.
“I used to come down here when there were nothing but tents, way back in the day,” Green said. “I’ve seen it grow and grow and grow.
“It looks good,” he said of the new building. “We’ll see when the whole thing opens with produce and all that. That’s when they’re going to have crowds coming in here.”
Shawn Parker, a co-founder with his brother Khari Parker of Connie’s Chicken and Waffles, which had run one of its four locations at the old Lexington Market since 2016, said he expects to open next week.
“We’re from Baltimore, so we’re used to coming down to Lexington Market our entire lives, starting off with our grandmom, and of course our mom brought us down here,” he said. “Coming back to the new Lexington Market was amazing to us, to see the transformation from the old to the new, and just being part of all the changes that are taking place in Baltimore right now.”
On Monday, the brothers and their mother, Connie Parker, took stock of their new space in preparation for the Nov. 1 opening. The new stall features an expanded menu and a carryout window that opens on a newly built plaza with outdoor seating and native plantings, on the site of the recently demolished Arcade Building.
Khari Parker described the first day bringing in the public as full of “positive vibes. It’s excitement. It’s joy. It’s optimism. It’s hope.”
“The energy is really really high,” he said. “A lot of folks are coming in, and they’re happy to see the new market. They’re waiting to see when we’re all going to open up.”
For Angela Chester-Johnson, owner of Plum Good, opening Nov. 2, the market offers a chance to expand her decade-old spice, tea and sauce business from farmers markets to a permanent spot.
“I as a child came to the old Lexington Market every Saturday with my parents,” Chester-Johnson said. “When I heard it was going to be transformed, I wanted to be a part of it. I have a small business and wanted to be part of the Baltimore food ecosystem. I thought what a great location to be in.”
Fleurs d’Ave, a florist and new market merchant, made its first sales Monday morning from its spot in the lower market just off the Eutaw Street entrance.
“All the customers are coming in with a lot of energy, very excited,” said Ashley Rock Wylie, a co-owner. “It’s fun just to see people together. And they’re looking forward to all the new places opening. They want to know where the chicken is. They’re ready for more.”
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