A new light is shining on the historic 9th Street Market.
Perhaps the only thing better than the food and wares produced by the century-old, family-owned businesses along 9th Street in South Philly are the stories that shaped them.
Although known primarily as the “Italian Market” because of the Italian immigrants who founded the area more than 100 years ago, the generations of workers who thrive along 9th Street come from various remote locations in Europe, South America, Southeast Asia and beyond. Their offerings are boundless. And there’s a strong effort to make sure their history is not forgotten.
“What is the weight that they carry?” asks Michelle Angela Ortiz, lead artist and founder of Our Market Project, which has helped revitalize the area through public art. “The stories about how the businesses started are easy to get down here. But I’ve been trying to think about the dreams and the weight that we carry and the joy that we have so that people understand beyond the labor.”
Ortiz’s mother is a Colombian immigrant and her family grew up on League Street, just off the beaten path of the 9th Street Market. Ortiz created and unveiled the mural “Labor and Love Intertwined” where the two streets intersect in the fall as a tribute to her family and the local immigrant workers.
Her recent efforts have not only helped beautify the heavily traveled area, but Our Market Project has provided light boxes and revitalized vendor stands to help productivity and encourage engagement with businesses and vendors.
A swell of improvements were on display on Aug. 8-9 as the Our Market Illumination Event held pay-what-you-wish tours that included professional tour guides, food tastings and all the wonders of the 9th Street Market between Carpenter and Federal streets. It showcased radiating produce scales, glowing light boxes, a movable illuminated push cart, which helped shuffle people across busy Washington Avenue. A multi-media box truck projected stories of 9th Street’s workers and community.
Some stories go back generations, as Domenick Crimi, third-generation owner of Cappuccio’s Meats, says he sold shopping bags on the front step of the store when he was 5 years old and he watched the avenue change over the years.
“When I was a kid, there were 30-something butcher shops on this street,” Crimi said. “Change is inevitable.”
Change can also be seen just below Washington Avenue as the once-beloved Connie’s Ric Rac music venue closed down after the death of the two Tartaglia brothers, Joe Jr. and Frankie. Their parents, Connie and Joe, were alive to see a wonderful mural unveiled on 9th Street in 2024 honoring the Mexican immigrant family for their contributions. Connie and Joe Sr. both passed away over the last few years.
“Their kids grew up here as 9th Street kids,” Ortiz said. “Joe (Sr.) was known as ‘Joe Brown’ and he worked on the produce stands. The good thing was that their parents Connie and Joe were able to witness this mural before they passed. These spaces continue to change and the market is always evolving.”
Connie’s is now part of the authentic Mexican restaurant South Philly Barbacoa, which expanded into the space. It is the workplace of James Beard Award-winning chef Cristina Martinez. Through an interpreter, she expressed her love of the 9th Street Market as she dished out beef tacos to tour guests with a warm smile.
“I love being part of this community,” she said. “I love to participate in events that this community brings. I am always open-arms for this community.”
Along that stretch below Washington Avenue, nine businesses now have light boxes on the undercarriage of the awnings above their shops. They tell individual stories of how current businesses came to thrive in South Philly.
“South of Washington used to be all lined up with produce stands,” Ortiz said. “Now there are parked cars. It’s the reality of how the market could shift and change and what happens when spaces displace a hundred-year-old tradition. So on the north end, we invested in the revitalization of the produce stands and new awnings. We put light boxes on the south end because we don’t have stands. It’s a way of providing light because a lot of the vendors talked about having more lighting on the south end and more security in that sense. The light boxes serve two purposes. It’s about the light and also the message of hope and light as well.”
Tour guides like Melissa Nong helped deliver the significance of those messages.
“What I hear from people on the tour is people saying they walked the market before but they never had a chance to get to know the people behind the business,” Nong said. “Being able to introduce those community members to the people has been really special. And it brings people back to the market after they become familiar with the food and the businesses after hearing those stories.”
Nong is a Vietnamese immigrant who said she now finds comfort in visiting places like the 9th Street market.
“Meeting the people has opened up my own mind about Philadelphia,” she said. “When I see a business or see someone out on the street, it makes me slow down and think about them more than just being a passer-by. The human and the relationships all across the city is my favorite part of doing this.” ••
