The heavily damaged 6th Street side of the Broad Street Market
Shocked. Devastated. Heartbroken.
These were some of the words heard on Monday morning, as clusters of Harrisburg residents and business owners gathered in the courtyard of the Broad Street Market, almost not believing what they were seeing.
An overnight fire destroyed a large portion of the 150-year-old brick building, which was entirely missing its roof on the 6th Street side. Charred embers were piled up outside, remains of the structure and whatever had been inside.
“It was shocking,” said Lhayana Dallas, owner Honeybush Raw Smoothie Bar, which has a stand in the market building. “I live down the street. So, when I heard, I rushed over and just started crying.”
Tanis Monroy, the market’s executive director, stood outside and shook his head. He had only been on the job a short time when one of the worst days in the market’s long history hit.
Monroy said that he heard about the fire in the early morning hours when he received multiple calls from nearby residents and market security.
The interior of the fire-devastated Broad Street Market. Photo: Julia James
“I’m very devastated,” he said. “Even though I’ve only been here for seven months, I feel like I lost a part of myself today.”
It was too early, he said, to know what caused the fire or what the next steps would be. First up—a meeting tonight to brief vendors as a group on the situation.
“Imagine what people who have grown here and have been coming here for generations feel,” he said. “It’s a huge loss.”
Vivi Sterste is one of those people. She said that she’s been coming to the market her whole life and recalls, at just 3 years old, holding her mother’s hand while she shopped for groceries. Sterste now lives a block away from the market, where she runs her art gallery and shop, Vivi on Verbeke.
“I’m in shock,” she said. “The trauma of this will affect everyone.”
Sterste likened the market to an old, beloved friend, as well as a critical space for the community—one of the few places in Harrisburg where everyone gathers to shop, meet and enjoy themselves. Because of this, she feels confident that the market will rebuild better than before.
“People will come together,” she said. “Something good will come out of this because it has to. There are just too many good people around here.”
A Broad Street Market vendor removes items from the courtyard side of the building.
In fact, several residents mentioned that the rebuilding process could give the market an opportunity to upgrade the building, perhaps even add air conditioning, long desired by both patrons and vendors.
“The market’s been around for more than 140 years,” said Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co., which has a stand in the market. “We’re going to figure out a way to rebuild from this. This is our home.”
Fortunately, Grove has a standalone shop on North Street, which will help, she said. She feels especially bad for the vendors who depended on their market stands for their sole income.
“We have to make sure they survive,” she said. “Otherwise, it’s a huge loss for the community, and, obviously, they don’t have a place to do business anymore.”
On behalf of Historic Harrisburg Association, Executive Director David Morrison described his organization’s mood as “incredibly sad.”
“We will do all we can to help bring about the restoration and preservation of this beloved architectural, cultural, and economic landmark that has been a food oasis and an anchor institution in Harrisburg since 1860,” he said.
Cate Rowe stopped by the market on her way to work to see the devastation for herself. Reminiscing, she riddled off a long list of her favorite items and vendors, which she usually bought during Saturday morning shopping trips: turkey jerky from Hummer’s Meats, coffee at Elementary, peanut butter fudge at Sweet 717.
But, more than the food, she agreed that the real tragedy is the effect on the people of Harrisburg.
“It’s a real loss to the community, because this is where the community would gather,” she said. “People would eat together and just enjoy each others’ company.”
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