Waverly (32nd Street) Market, Baltimore

Nina Planck in her presentation on marketing tips for markets said the most important thing a farmers market can have is a permanent sign. This one is a beauty.



Waverly Market is in a Baltimore neighborhood sort of like H Street in Washington DC where the commercial district can be best described as "emerging."

But I say sort of because while the commercial district is troubled, just like H Street NE, the difference is that houses around H Street are worth upwards of $500,000, while in Waverly you might still be able to find a house for under $100,000 (that needs work). You're still very close to Johns Hopkins University and a 10-15 minute bike ride from Penn Station, and Amtrak and MARC connections. Plus, if Baltimore really builds a streetcar line on Charles Street, that also will only be a few blocks away.

Rowhouses on 8th Street NE (by Gallaudet University), Washington DC. Photo by Elise Bernard/Frozen Tropics.

Rowhouses on Wylie Street NE, Washington DC. Photo by Elise Bernard/Frozen Tropics. A narrow rowhouse on Wylie can sell for well over $300,000.

Rowhouses across the street from the Waverly (32nd Street) Market, Baltimore.

The market is open all year and thrives. Last weekend there were 35 vendors and the place was busy. This communicates to me that "emerging" neighborhoods are still great locations for markets, providing there are potential customers around and the pricing is right. (Note that the greens vendor that was on H Street last year charges $1 less per pound at the Waverly Market).

But such markets need to be managed and developed according to the stage of revitalization of the neighborhood, not by some model that fails to take into consideration the "principles of destination management."

For more information about Waverly, see "For Better or For Worse The divided Community of Waverly Grapples With the Pain and the Promise of Changes Along 33rd Street ," from the Baltimore City Paper.

For more photos of the Waverly Market, click here.





Seating is key and it doesn't have to be fancy.