Supporting entrepreneurs

Northeast Market, a couple of blocks from Johns Hopkins Hospital, is a lunch staple for workers such as Suzanne Ayd. The 55-year-old Bel Air woman, who works at Hopkins, said she’s been visiting for more than 30 years. “The food is better and cheaper, and there’s more variety here” than in the hospital’s cafeteria, she said. “A lot of the same stalls are still here.”

Markets such as Hollins attract carryout customers but serve more frequently as alternatives to grocery stores.

At Jack’s Poultry in Hollins Market, whole chickens, thighs, breasts and wings of all sizes sit on ice. Customers step up and point to the pieces they want to take home.

During more than 60 years in business, the offerings at the poultry stand have changed, according to Ben David, a thirdgeneration operator. More customers want chicken parts rather than whole birds these days, he said. But generations of patrons have remained loyal.

“I think they just trust us,” said David, whose grandfather opened Jack’s Poultry in 1953.

“From grandpa to my dad to me, we try to have integrity in what we do and be honest and very upfront, and that’s why you can kind of see everything that you’re getting right away.”

That’s what Gerald Blue, 53, enjoys about shopping at Hollins Market. “You come right in, you usually see what you want right there. You can hand it to them and just keep on going,” he said.

The Westport man said he has been shopping at Hollins twice a week for more than 20 years. He was buying fruit salad, vegetables, oxtails and chicken on a recent visit. He said he wouldn’t mind seeing some upgrades at the market, but hopes the interactions with vendors don’t change.

Market vendors build relationships with customers, and may allow some bargaining. At L&R Produce, Baroch sells apples at five for $2.50 — but sometimes he’ll give customers 10 or 12 for $4.

“That couple apples ... you could give an inch and then they’ll give you a mile,” said Baroch, who has been at the market for 30 years. “They enjoy that. You don’t get that at the stores.”

It’s not grocery stores but rather farmers’ markets that provide the most direct competition to the city’s public markets, according to the Reisterstown-based food industry consultant Jeremy Diamond. Grocery stores are relatively sparse within city boundaries.

As the public markets are refurbished, Diamond said, they should incorporate elements of farmers’ markets, including an open-air atmosphere, and more produce and farm-to-table vendors.

The public market operators don’t see Baltimore’s trendy new food halls as direct competition. Public markets must appeal to the full range of customers, Thomas said. The emerging food halls are pitched to a more upscale audience.

“It’s almost the antithesis of a food-hall circumstance,” Thomas said. “We’re on the other end of it, which is to say, ‘Come one, come all. This is a place for everybody.’ ”

But like food halls, markets can provide a steppingstone for entrepreneurs. Thomas said supporting fledgling merchants will be a focus of Baltimore’s markets. The Baltimore Public Markets Corp. is developing a new recruiting approach that includes “Shark Tank”-style auditions and pop-ups, and offering space for second locations to existing businesses.

“We have to make sure that we are paying attention to local sourcing to the extent that we can, and then giving birth to homegrown businesses to the extent that we can,” Thomas said. “And actually that should be totally the case.”

Connie’s Chicken and Waffles, owned by brothers Khari and Shawn Parker, is one such startup.

The Parkers opened the stand eight months ago and are already looking looking for new space and plan to grow their catering operations by working out of the B-more Kitchen incubator.

Lexington Market gave Connie’s the exposure the Parker brothers hoped for.

“The biggest thing about Lexington Market is just the fact that it’s like the central piece of the community here in Baltimore. Everyone knows about it,” Khari Parker said. “It’s tied directly into the culture of Baltimore.”

The Parkers came to the market as children with their mother, for whom the shop is named, and grandmother. The market, which has struggled in a neighborhood troubled by crime and drug activity, has faced potential demolition. Gov. Larry Hogan has pledged $7 million from 2018 to 2022 toward rebuilding it.

The brothers say they are optimistic about the opportunities a new market could bring, such as extended hours and new vendors.

No matter the new form Lexington Market takes, Shawn Parker said ,he hopes it will remain a place customers can buy quality affordable food.

“The market is not going to push aside a segment of the population that may be on limited income. The idea is to stay somewhat the same,” he said. “The public market is there for the public, for the community.”