Fells Point changes (Broadway Market) (Baltimore: real estate, job, houses)

[barante]

I chatted today with the owner of Sophia's, the wonderful Polish delly in the north shed of Broadway Market. She says that the market will be redone, starting later this fall, and she will have to move to the other shed at least temporarily. She didn't have any details but said that much of the block east of the north shed will be demolished to provide more parking.
I'm a bit distressed by this because I always thought those rowhouses were picturesque and important to the character of Fells Point (this is block were Shockett's used to be). I would hope that they would do what was done in a similar situation in Charleston, S.C. -- the fronts were kept, with small boutiques, to hide a multi-level garage behind. Somehow, without checking, I don't think this is what's going to happen in Fells Point unfortunately.
All the city's municipal markets are at a crossroads. Interestingly, the markets with worst vacancies are Cross Street (Federal Hill) and Broadway (Fells Point), although both of those communities are exceedingly wealthy these days in comparison to the rest of the city.
Anyway, if you continue farther east on Fleet, there is an incredible little variety store in the very next block. All kinds of stuff from fishing rods and mousetraps to books and household items. You've got to see it to believe it. It's operated by a man of undeterminable age who has a Polish name. I've been going to that store for years to get my watch batteries changed because he does a good job for a dollar or two. Anyway, today for the first time I saw his very elderly mother there as well. I said to my wife that this is one of those soon-to-disappear relics of old Baltimore that we must treasure while we still can.
The point of these musings is this: While we were in the store, an old-time Fells Point resident came by. Sounded a bit goofy. He came there to buy laundry detergent, although I got the sense that in the end he probably didn't buy anything but stopped by only to chat. This reminded me of the very same dichotomy that exists in South Baltimore: Many of the established businesses cater to the old, ungentrified population whose needs are totally different from those of the better off newcomers or tourists. The markets used to cater to the salt of the earth but now that those have been driven away by high real estate prices, they don't know how to reach the yuppie market. Do yuppies cook?
Broadway Market these days is pockmarked with vacancies. If you want to have a word with John Paterakis, who chairs the municipal market board, go to the greasy spoon at the northern end of the north shed. He and his cronies can be seen there for a couple of hours every Saturday. Don't know what the place is called these days; it used to be Pappas'.
I've been thinking of saying hello to him, except that I'm not sure how we are doing these days. What I mean is that I wrote some stuff that displeased him so much that I kept a copy of one of his round-robin Christmas letters for years just to be able to demonstrate in court that we were good friends and that I was not motivated by malice.
On second thought, I really need to go and pay my respects to him, particularly because the reason why we go to Fells Point is to shop at his H&S Bakery outlet store on Fleet. Three supermarket loaves for $1, can't beat that. We put the bags of bread in a freezer and are set for seveal weeks.
Paterakis bakes pretty much everybody's bread, from Manischewitz, which can be bought at the outlet store for bargain prices, to Berger's cookies.

[jonjj]

Marketplace at Fells Point

This has been in the works for awhile now. The funding is a bit sketchy.