In two months, a new grocery store will open at the now-vacant building that Eddie’s Market occupied for nearly six decades before closing last December. MCB Real Estate and WorkShop Development, both Baltimore-based real estate firms, announced plans to bring a branch of Streets Market, a Washington, D.C.-based grocer, to Charles Village last month.
The developers plan to construct a mixed-use property with other retail stores and approximately 200 new student housing units. The new building will be built over the Eddie’s building and the next-door property, 3121 St. Paul St., which currently houses the Bank of America and Ajumma restaurant.
MCB Managing Partner P. David Bramble expressed enthusiasm about the new project in an interview with The News-Letter.
“We think that St. Paul is a great street. There’s been a lot of change that made it even better in the last decade,” he said. “We want to keep making it better with this new development.”
Streets Market will open in less than two months. It will temporarily close in two years when construction is slated to begin on the mixed-use development. The entire development is estimated to be complete between 2025 and 2026.
Sandy Sparks of the Charles Village Civic Association believes the store will be well-received by the community.
“The development is right in line with what Eddie’s offered. I know that they stock the store to meet the needs of the community where the store is,” Spark said. “We’ve seen a very positive response since the announcement, and the community eagerly awaits their opening.”
The nearest grocery store to Homewood Campus is currently the Giant Food in Waverly.
Senior Lily Pine noted that cheaper prices are one of the benefits of introducing a chain grocer to the neighborhood.
“Eddie’s was pretty pricey because it was a family business,” she said. “There will also probably be more diversity in options. Despite this, it’s sad that St. Paul is adding even more chain stores than it already has.”
Eddie’s closing, she said, was a significant loss to the neighborhood.
“It’s disappointing to hear about a chain grocer coming in because a big charm of Eddie’s was that it was so personal and integrated into Charles Village,” she said.
In a press release, Councilwoman Odette Ramos, who represents Charles Village in the Baltimore City Council, expressed her optimism about the market’s opening.
“I am excited the development team knew the desire of the community to have another grocery in the former Eddie’s space. While no one can replace Jerry and Darlene Gordon, Streets Market has a good reputation in the area and I welcome them to our community,” she wrote. “I look forward to the community input process on the rest of the development proposal.”
