Market Share

     Philadelphia's Italian Market on 9th Street has been around for a long time.  In South Philadelphia it was only one of a half dozen such ethnic markets that provided meat, fruit and produce to immigrant families in the 1880's.  The iconic rows of wooden stands still line the street and many of the vendors are of Italian descent.  But listen carefully and you can also hear shoppers speaking Spanish and Vietnamese.  So along with prosciutto and provolone you can purchase tamales and chorizo, bok choy and chicken tempura.

     But there is one glaring difference beside the ethnic diversity.  Nearly 40% of the stands are vacant, others run down.  Others have a decided dilapidated look about them.  Of the 140 stands, 87 are active and 53 are vacant.  And that doesn't help business when residents and tourists stop by.  So a significant change is in the works to improve things.

     As of the first of the new year management has changed hands from the city government to the South Ninth Street Business Association.  And that's a good thing.  In the past, if a stand operator became delinquent on fees, or moved away, or died, the responsibility for follow-up was then in the hands of some city bureaucrat.  Sometimes it was impossible to determine who had licensed the stands, or how to find them.  So the stands sat vacant, sad and forlorn.  Vendors will now pay their fees directly to the association and the association will pay a lump sum to the city.  Delinquent stands will revert to the association and be promptly leased to other vendors and occupied.

     Now there is hope for the only outdoor market in the city.  Local control and ethnic diversity will help the market not only survive but thrive.