4. Arthur Avenue Retail Market was the First Enclosed Market in the Bronx
To cater to the needs of hundreds of thousands of shoppers on Arthur Avenue and the cart owners, the Arthur Avenue Retail Market was opened by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia at 2344 Arthur Avenue in 1940. The market offered stalls to push cart owners for a small fee and allowed for a better shopping experience for customers. Later, the market was converted into the Italian-product marketplace that it is today.
Today the market hosts a variety of diverse specialty vendors such as the Bronx Beer Hall, Felix’s Custom T-Shirts and Alterations, O’CCAFFE, and Funici A’Pizza, O’CCAFFE, Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue on the Go, La Casa Grande Cigars, and Peter’s Meat Market. On our upcoming Untapped New York Insiders tour to the market, we’ll stop by the women-owned DUA Market which sells Balkan and Italian products. We’ll also see a mozzarella-making demonstration at Mike’s Deli where we’ll sample their renowned Eggplant Parmigiana that was seen on the Food Network, when Dave Greco, the second-generation owner of Mike’s Deli, defended his family’s recipe on “Throwdown with Bobby Flay.” Find out what else you’ll get to enjoy at the link below!
Arthur Ave Market Tour & Tasting
Similarly, many other enclosed markets can be found around New York. Chelsea Market, for example, is another enclosed market that features vendors from around the city – albeit more upscale. Both the Arthur Avenue Retail Market and Chelsea Market occupy important roles in New York history—all while serving delicious food.