Illustration by Rich Hauck.
As goes Harrisburg, so goes the Broad Street Market.
The historic market is both a symbol of and a reflection of its city, as the two have risen and fallen together over the course of 160 years.
When Harrisburg was vibrant and growing, so was the market. Pictures from the 1920s show the market packed with shoppers, with Model T’s and buggies jostling outside for street parking. According to the Historic Harrisburg Association, the market once boasted upwards of 725 vendors—with a waiting list!
When the city fell on hard times, so did the market. In the 1970s, industry loss, population flight and a devastating flood sent Harrisburg to the brink of bankruptcy. Likewise, the privately owned Broad Street Market went into sustained decline, eventually suffering the indignity of getting taken over by the city’s buyer of last resort—the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority.
In more recent times, both the city and the market have had their ups and downs.
The 1990s were a time of renewed optimism in Harrisburg, as the city finally seemed to be turning a corner. The Broad Street Market also sprung back, with a $1.6 million renovation serving as a catalyst.
Unfortunately, the good times would not last. By 2010, the city was back in financial straits, and, again, a gloom fell over the market. When I arrived in Harrisburg, I stepped into a place with few customers, unhappy vendors and a revolving door of managers.
As the city recovered from its fiscal crisis, so did the market. For a few years, things looked up again and, then, boom—a terrible pandemic and a ruinous fire.
That’s an awful lot of drama for one beloved, if beleaguered, place.
So, where are we today?
As I write this column, we’re in transition. To its credit, the city has moved quickly to set up a temporary market across the street until the brick market building can be restored, which, best case, won’t be fully done until 2025.
This rebuilding process is the perfect time to assess the market and how it operates. The city and the market board have two years to determine what works and what doesn’t and implement needed changes. Regular readers of this column may not be surprised that I have a few ideas.
Stability and quality leadership. By my count, the market has chewed through eight managers/directors over the past decade, which indicates a serious systemic problem at this top position. In a column from last year, I stated that the job is one of the hardest in Harrisburg, a situation made worse by middling pay and insufficient staffing. Therefore, number one, this position needs better funding (i.e., a big raise), and the market needs another staffer or two who can take on some of the many responsibilities that have fallen to the manager. Also, several past managers have told me that they sometimes felt like they were left flapping in the wind, especially when times got tough. The market team needs to know that the board and the city have their back.
Sustained support. The city wants the Broad Street Market to be self-sustaining, which is understandable. However, its current budget is not sufficient for the huge job at hand. Therefore, I suggest that the market receive an annual appropriation from the city—say, $100,000—to boost pay and staff. This idea is not as brash as it sounds. Every year, the city doles out grants to many nonprofits, and the Broad Street Market—a vital food resource and the beating heart of Harrisburg—is at least as worthy. Moreover, in three years, the city finally will be rid of debt related to the disastrous Capitol View Commerce Center, which will free up many thousands more in annual federal funds that could be set aside for the market. For its part, the market needs to aggressively pursue grants to supplement its operations.
Community outreach. Several years ago, “Friends of the Market” was established to boost community involvement and financial support. To date, the program’s been underwhelming. Meanwhile, the fire, despite its destruction, re-awakened the community’s passion for its market. That can, and should, be monetized. Fortunately, the market has an existing program to do exactly that—it just needs better organization and more effort. The market also should tap into the amazing talents of this community. Harrisburg is full of former nonprofit leaders, retired grant writers and other residents with skills the market can use. Several residents have told me that, in recent years, they’ve approached the market to volunteer their talents, but their offers went unanswered
Food focus, longer hours. Since the 1990s, several surveys have shown broad community support for two things. First, residents want the market to focus on food and drink, not other products. Secondly, they’d like the market to be open more than three days a week, even if it’s just one of the two buildings. Both seem like great ideas to me.
The Broad Street Market is about to enter uncharted territory. In its long history, it’s fallen on hard times before, but never anything as shattering as the July fire. It may be some time before vendors and customers adapt to the temporary market and, when the brick building does reopen, I have a feeling the shopping experience will be quite different than before.
Personally, I’m optimistic. Harrisburg itself has proven the doubters wrong and is on a sustained upswing. And, as we now know, as Harrisburg goes, so goes the Broad Street Market.
Lawrance Binda is the publisher/editor of TheBurg.
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