broad street market Archives - Central Penn Business Journal

Millworks owner offers space to city for temporary Broad Street Market home

The temporary home planned for vendors displaced by the fire that ravaged the brick structure at Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market is being donated by the owner of Millworks.

Josh Kesler, owner of Millworks, a restaurant and brewery at 340 Verbeke St., said the open space he owns is the perfect location to erect a tent to house the displace vendors because it is right across the street from the market’s stone building, which survived the July 10 blaze.

Harrisburg officials announced at a press conference on Tuesday plans to construct a temporary structure while the community works to rebuild.

“Right now, we’re working with a number of companies that work on temporary structures,” City Business Administrator Dan Hartman said. “That’s something we’re hoping to have lined up in a few days.

“I’ve worked on the market for years and know a lot of the vendors,” Kesler, who is a past chair of the Broad Street Market board, said. “They were asking about the ability to set up a tent and I told them they could put it on my lot.”

Kesler said in talks with Mayor Wanda Williams, the tent solution made sense.

“It’s my understanding that it will have utilities like electricity and running water so the vendors can operate,” he said. “It will have its own floor.”

Hartman said the city wants to give the vendors a “great workspace” while everything works out on the historical preservation and rehabilitation side. The city wants that place to be safe, secure and allow them to operate their businesses, he said.

Currently, Kesler uses the space for special events and offers it to nonprofits for their events.

“We had some plans over the next year to create a permanent beer garden, but we’re putting them on hold,” he said. “It makes sense to make it a temporary market.”

Kesler said the temporary market, which he hopes can be installed in the next few weeks, is a top priority for him, the City of Harrisburg, the vendors and the community because, not only are the numerous small businesses not able to operate, but a lot of people get their fresh food there.

“The brick building is where most of the fresh food was sold,” Kesler said. “There are a lot of people who rely on the market for their food. Many of them don’t have transportation. This is really important to the city and to me.”

Kesler said the city will cover the costs to erect the tent and will restore the property once the market is rebuilt.

“I will give this to the city and the market as long as they need it,” he said. “My mission for opening Millworks was to help make this neighborhood a walkable community and the market is critical for that.”

Broad Street Market reopens; displaced vendors look for options

As the vendors in the stone building at Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market reopened Thursday morning, others displaced by the fire that destroyed the brick building are trying to figure out what is next for them.

Ryan Hummer, owner of R.G. Hummer Meats and Cheese, who has been doing business in the market for 21 years, said he plans to reopen when the market is rebuilt.

“I want to rebuild and set up the most beautiful meat shop Harrisburg has ever seen,” he said.

The Broad Street Market’s brick building was destroyed by fire in the early hours Monday after an electrical short circuit in a large ceiling fan ignited. The City of Harrisburg, owner of the market, has pledged to rebuild. Federal and state officials have said they will help.

Hummer, who said he was insured, said he lost all his equipment, including a 50-foot refrigerator case.

“We are a full-service butcher,” Hummer said. “I lost half my business, so this is important to us.”

Hummer has a stand at the West Short Farmers Market that, he said, will help keep his business running.

David Morrison, executive director of Historic Harrisburg Association said the Broad Street Market has been the institutional and economic anchor of the community for 150 years.

“It is the home and livelihood of 40 permanent vendors and many additional ones who rent space by the day or week,” Morrison said. “It is, for many Harrisburg residents, the only place where they can buy fresh food and groceries. It’s a destination for regional shoppers and for tourists from across the country and the world.”

Morrison said the association has heard differing opinions on how much can be restored vs rebuilt.

“There is no reason to think that it will not come out every bit as good, if not better, that what has stood there since 1886, when the eastern half of the Brick Market House was completed,” he said.

Dan Hartman, Harrisburg’s business administrator and chief of staff to Mayor Wanda Williams, said there is no timeline yet for when the renovations will begin as the damage assessment and cleanup are still underway.

Hartman said the city is looking at temporary and interim options to help the vendors and the community because the loss of the market has created a “food desert” for many residents.

Melvin Glick, owner of Many Blessings Bakery, said the Broad Street stand was his only place of business and all his equipment was in the building.

“It is what it is. We can’t change any of it,” Glick said. “How we move forward is still to be determined.”

Glick said he is fortunate to have a construction job with his brothers to keep him going while plans are being made to rebuild the market. He plans to reopen when the construction is completed.

He, too, attended the vendors’ meeting Tuesday, but said no one has answers yet.

“There have been a few options offered but if a new space is not real close, it’s not worth [reopening],” he said. “My customer base is within two miles of the market, so opening farther way is very unlikely.”

Glick, who said he had no insurance for the stand, said he will be covered because the Amish community will help him out.

“Everyone is trying to adjust,” Hummer said.

One possibility offered was space in the plaza between the buildings. Hummer said that won’t work for his business because of his need for refrigeration.

“I will have to wait until the building is rebuilt,” he said.

In the meantime, Hummer said he is trying to take care of the six to eight employees he had working at the stand.

“I hope to do something for all of them, but I’m not sure. I’m trying to stay positive and take this day by day,” Hummer said. “This is a struggle for every vendor. It’s devastating.”

Rebuilding Broad Street Market essential for restoring food access

While work is underway to begin the cleanup from the fire that destroyed at least half of the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg Monday, the City of Harrisburg is looking at ways to help those most affected by the loss of business and a much-needed food source.

Dan Hartman, business administrator and chief of staff to Mayor Wanda Williams, said it will be a long process to return the market to full function.

The Broad Street Market, built in 1874, burned in the early hours Monay after an electrical malfunction in a large ceiling fan.

The eastern building was destroyed and the western building sustained water, smoke and fire damage. The roof of the entire brick complex was destroyed.

“We are in the first stages,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “We have the insurance investigators coming in to look at the building now.”

Hartman said the initial plans will then be to get the debris cleared out to mitigate any further damage and then a public planning process will begin. The building was boarded up Monday night and outside debris was cleared to allow roads to reopen.

“This will be a long process,” he said.

The city is not part of the fundraising efforts the community is holding because the building is insured. However, Hartman said, “we have a very charitable community and I look forward to seeing what people do.”

Hartman said the city has work groups to help with business assistance and the federal and state governments are involved.

“I imagine in the coming days there will be efforts from the government to help those affected,” he said, including the vendors and the community.

“This has created a food desert for a large segment of the population, so it’s not just the vendors that need assistance,” he said.

The city is working “hand-in-hand” with the Broad Street Market Alliance, which oversees the operations of the market.

“This is all being worked on as we speak,” Hartman said.

While still in the investigative stage, Hartman said the market is an historic municipal building so there are confines within which the city must work.

“There will be modernization efforts as part of the process,” he said.

The stone building is fine, and Hartman said it will be open for business. The rest is unusable.

“All departments are working with emergency services to work through the tragedy that hit our city,” Hartman said. “This was the heartbeat of the neighborhood and the city, and the outpouring of support has been incredible.”

While Hartman said the city is looking at temporary and interim options to help vendors reopen, many of the operators can’t set up in outside spaces because they sell food and need running water to do so.

“Physical locations are being looked at so we can offer space,” he said.

As for the process to get the market up and running, Hartman said the city is looking at multiple steps which include mitigation, which will overlap short-term solutions.

“The long term is going to take quite a bit of time, but the steps along the way will help businesses get some semblance of their operations running.”

[UPDATE] Half of Broad Street Market destroyed; Harrisburg to help displaced businesses

This story has been updated to include the cause of the fire.

The entire eastern building of the historic Broad Street Market in Harrisburg was destroyed by fire caused by a ceiling fan malfunction.

Don Hartman of the City of Harrisburg said the building built in 1874 will require a complete rebuild while the western building sustained water, smoke and fire damage. The roof of the entire complex was destroyed in the blaze that was spotted around 1 a.m.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline said the cause of the blaze was accidental.

Broad Street Market on fire – PHOTO/HARRISBURG FIRE BATTALION “B” –

According to Harrisburg’s Battalion “B”’s Facebook page, firefighters fought the blaze from inside the market house. They fought flames on the exterior from ladder trucks.

Hartman said firefighters fought the blaze for several hours before the flames were doused. No injuries have been reported.

Verbeke Street is shut down next to the market.

“Broad Street Market is one of the oldest continuously operating farmers’ markets in the country — a place where we come together to support local small businesses and our community,” Gov. Josh Shapiro tweeted this morning. “Last night’s fire that damaged the nearly 150-year-old brick building is devastating. The Harrisburg community is strong — and we will rebuild. I’ve spoken to Mayor [Wanda] Williams and pledged to her that my Administration will be there to assist in any way we can.”

Hartman said he has been in contact with U.S. Sen Bob Casey, D, and U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D, who have pledged their support in rebuilding the structure.

“Our insurers have been at the scene, and we are taking steps on our end to get things rolling. We will work with the nonprofit to help the businesses that have been displaced,” he said.

The nonprofit Broad Street Market Alliance is an independent community managed enterprise.

The Broad Street Market was founded in 1860 and is the oldest continuously operated market house in the United States, according to its website.

During the Civil War, farmers at the Broad Street Market helped feed the 300,000 Union soldiers who mustered at nearby Camp Curtin, the website said.

At its peak in the 1920s, the Broad Street Market had over 725 vendors, many of whom leased outdoor space and waited years for an indoor stall to become available. John N. Kinnard, the Market Master of that era, noted that one small farmer might sell just a few dozen eggs while another “sold more than $2,000 worth of live turkeys in one day.”

Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the Broad Street Market has been owned by the City of Harrisburg since 1979. In 1996, the City of Harrisburg completed a $2.5 million restoration of the complex, which was designed to reposition it as a successful and growth-oriented retail enterprise. In 1999, the city completed an additional $380,000 improvement to the stone market house.

Responding to recommendations by market consultant David K. O’Neil, the city took steps to place the operation under local community management. The result was the creation of the new Broad Street Market Alliance, the website said.

Hartman said he has no idea how long the rebuilding process will take. Because it is an historic structure, the components will have to be preserved which will take longer than a normal rebuild.

Ag Secretary celebrates Pride Month and direct sales to consumers at Broad Street Market

In celebration of Pennsylvania’s national leadership in direct sales to consumers and Pride Month, state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding visited Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market and its LGBTQ+ stand owners today.

Russell Redding

Redding, who was joined by state Rep. Jessica Benham, D-Allegheny County, said, “Pennsylvania agriculture has a seat at the table for everyone and Pride Month is a great time to celebrate that diversity and inclusive spirit.

“We must feed equality to feed the future,” he said. “As a public servant and agricultural leader, I am committed to feeding equality. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, but there is much more to do to make our industry prosperous and our table welcoming.”

The Wolf administration’s work to expand inclusion in the state’s agriculture includes:

Redding’s appointment to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Subcommittee on Agriculture as one of 15 members to provide insight on equity in agriculture and federal farm, conservation, and extension programs.
Spearheading the development of the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, including the Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant program which has invested more than $1.5 million in projects addressing food system injustices and food apartheid.

The department commissioned the Project JUST (Justice, Unity, Solidarity, and Tolerance) Committee to maintain a working environment that addresses discrimination and endorses respect, professionalism, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
The department brought diversity, equity, and inclusion in agriculture to the national forefront, fostering a policy adopted by the National Association of States Department of Agriculture (NASDA) prioritizing equity across state agriculture departments in all 50 states.

Broad Street Market coffee stand to open new storefront

Elementary Coffee Co. owner Andrea Grove prepares a coffee at her stand in the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg. PHOTO/IOANNIS PASHAKIS

A love for roasting coffee beans and a knack for management led Andrea Grove to open a coffee shop in the Broad Street Market in 2014.

Five years later, Harrisburg-based Elementary Coffee Co. is finding the market’s three-days-a-week schedule is not enough to satiate thirsty customers.

The coffee shop roasts its coffee in the market’s stone building and sells everything from lattes and cold brews to specials like The Dreamer, a drink with flavors of lavender and rosemary, from the market’s brick building.

In September, Elementary plans to move its roasting operations in the market to a new standalone store and roasting operation down the street to keep the business open every day.

The current coffee stand at the market will also remain open.

Grove learned how to roast coffee as an employee of St. Thomas Roasters in Lower Paxton Township. She worked as a roaster under the tutelage of St. Thomas’ owner, Geof Smith, and soon began managing some of St. Thomas’ operations and formulating her own cold brew to sell at the business’ stand at a local farmers market.

Elementary Coffee Co.’s newest location is finishing renovations for a planned September opening date. PHOTO/IOANNIS PASHAKIS

After going through the process of coming up with a product and seeing it become a reality, Grove realized she wanted to open her own business.

Grove was 26 when the business opened and, for the first two years, she kept a working relationship with her former employer, roasting Elementary Coffee Co.’s coffee beans at St. Thomas after hours.

Elementary Coffee’s Broad Street Market stand was a gamble for Grove when she opened the business in 2014. She said a friend gave her the idea to plant her budding business at the market but the market was not as popular then as it is today.

“It had been on the decline for so many years and so many vendors we loved left, so I just didn’t go in there because there wasn’t anyone I enjoyed,” she said, noting that the market’s manager at the time convinced her to give it a chance. “She was passionate about the city and the market and I was passionate about the coffee and the community and we merged those things.”

Two years after opening at the market, Elementary Coffee began roasting its own coffee at a second stand. The new stand was meant to act as a location for events and coffee tastings but Grove said it proved difficult to dedicate the time needed to grow customer interest.

With the coffee stand now reaching its fifth year, Elementary Coffee has outgrown its first home and plans to open its second coffee shop at 256 North St.

For Grove, the new location brings a bevy of options that were not practical at either of the shop’s market stands. She will be able to offer her employees full-time work and increase her staff from six people to 12.

“Being open only three days a week was beneficial for us at first, it kept people interested in us because they could only get our coffee three days a week,” she said. “But it became exhausting. Our staff has to work two to three jobs to make ends meet.”

The new space will give the company room to prepare products like syrups in-house rather than in Grove’s home. It will also allow Elementary Coffee to host community events.

Grove said her business doesn’t shy away from political advocacy and getting involved in causes that matter to her and her staff such as reproductive rights and pay equality for women. The new building will allow the staff to express these opinions without affecting the market’s voice.

The new location was expected to open earlier in the year but renovations to the building pushed the opening day into late summer or early fall.

Renovation of the North Street has been a major undertaking. The blighted building, formerly the French restaurant The Coventry, sat unused for over 20 years before it was purchased by Dauphin County Prothonotary Matt Krupp.

Grove said if by September there is still more work to be done, she could see Elementary having a soft opening in the new space with fewer food options and no seating.

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Broad Street Market coffee stand to open new storefront